


Crave

by daydre4m



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Anal Sex, Awkward Boners, Bottom Kozume Kenma, Childhood Friends, Consensual Somnophilia, Face-Fucking, Face-Sitting, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Feminization, First Kiss, First Time, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Jealousy, KUROO LOVES KENMA SO MUCH, Kenma Pines, Kuroo calls Kenma "kitten", Light Dom/sub, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Oral Sex, Pining, Possessive Kuroo Tetsurou, Protectiveness, Romantic Tension, Rough Sex, Semi-Public Sex, Sexual Tension, Size Difference, Size Kink, Slow Burn, Smut, Teasing, Walking In On Someone
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-13 19:00:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 20,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29530917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daydre4m/pseuds/daydre4m
Summary: Kuroo knew that the amount of cuddling that he and Kenma partook in would definitely be considered weird by anyone who might catch sight of them. Weird, in the sense that it’s not completely normal for a pair of best friends to sleep with their limbs intertwined, the taller boy pressing occasional kisses into the head of the blond. Kuroo knew that it was unusual, but he would never want it any other way.
Relationships: Kozume Kenma & Kuroo Tetsurou, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou
Comments: 16
Kudos: 90





	1. Chapter 1

Playing with the black hem of his bright red shorts, a sigh escaped the lips of the blond as he sat in his designated spot under one of the ample oak trees that reside in the courtyard of Nekoma High. His beloved Nintendo Switch lay positioned in his right hand, faint Mario Kart music playing as he left the title screen open, his attention diverted elsewhere.

Kuroo had always needed reassurance from Kenma to sate his concern regarding whether the younger male felt left out at times like this, but Kenma would always say the same thing, point to his Switch, and assure the raven-haired captain that he would much rather increase his hours in-game than participate in what he saw as extraneous practice.

For the first few times Kenma sat out, this _was_ veritable — the entire team was aware of the fact that Kenma does not possess a fiery, burning passion for the sport — but soon enough, his motive changed.

You see, when on the court, it is difficult to observe your teammates, specifically the one who’s back constantly faces the petite setter — and yes, watching Kuroo’s back muscles tense, release, and flex like a well-oiled machine is a _great_ show in itself, but it doesn’t beat the view that Kenma acquires while sitting under the green leaves of the oak tree.

He can’t help the blood that rushes to his cheeks, staining them a pretty shade of crimson upon fondly admiring Kuroo’s enthusiasm as his large palm slams the ball over the net harshly. The way Kuroo remains friendly and demonstrates great sportsmanship, even when things on his behalf start to crumble. How Kuroo rolls the short sleeves of his t-shirt up on the crowns of his strong biceps as he gets more into the game, slicking his hair back with a combination of sweat and water. But what gets Kenma most of all, is the way Kuroo doesn’t go five minutes without sweeping his gaze over the sitting blond, paired with a signature smile and sometimes even a cheeky wink. Kenma’s blush intensifies every single time Kuroo chooses to do this, and recently he has stopped trying to hide it — he figures that Kuroo has _had_ to have noticed, hoping that the blocker simply brushes it off, excusing his reaction as a result of the blasting sun.

Under the tree, Kenma absentmindedly fidgets the switch’s joysticks with his slim fingers, hoping that his facade of occupation with the video game device was convincing enough for any other players with growing suspicion of the reasons behind his obvious staring. He tucked a blond strand of hair that had fallen in front of his eyes behind his ear, still unable to tear his eyes away from the light-hearted match that was taking place just a few meters from where he sat.

Lev is perched on a tall chair meant for the referees and he stared straight ahead with a boring expression on his visage, eyes following the ball that was being quickly sent back and forth across the sandy outdoor court. It was funny seeing the 6’4 giant trying to organize his long limbs as he sat down on the chair, and even more amusing watching him half-heartedly ref the game, as one could immediately read his state of anticipation to get on the court upon a millisecond of looking at him.

The match was approximately halfway done, as Kuroo’s side, which consisted of the middle blocker, Yuki, Shohei and Taketori was leading by three points against a team composed of Nobuyuki, Morisuke, Tamehiko and Inuoka.

Kenma noticed the absence of the cheery Mario Kart music and he glanced down at his Switch, realizing that he hadn’t interacted with the small joysticks in so long that it had turned off. He powered it back on hastily, knowing that he was wasting his battery, which wouldn't be good in the event that he might want to use it on his way home from school, but he figured it was worth it as a feasible cover-up.

As the setter averted his eyes up from the small electronic, what met his gaze made his heart drop down to the pits of his stomach.

Kuroo. His now bare plains of skin were gleaming against the harsh glare of the sun and as he continued to pull his shirt off, the motion looked like it was in slow-motion. Even from a slight distance, Kenma could see the sheen of sweat dripping down his abdomen as every single one of his muscles seemed to flex obscenely as he removed his white garment.

Kenma wanted to cry. It’s not like he had never seen the captain shirtless before — hell, he had seen him fully naked for that matter. Growing up with Kuroo Tetsurou, deemed as his dearly beloved best friend, the younger boy was most definitely familiar with Kuroo’s level of comfort of nudity.

However, despite the countless times that Kuroo has walked through his room practically nude, it has never lowered Kenma’s heated reactions towards his best friend’s physique. He almost let out a whimper as Kuroo threw his shirt aside, definitely not thinking much of it. God, Kenma felt like a pervert every single time this happened, and mentally scolded himself as he blocked out the lewd images that tried to infiltrate his train of thought.

He snapped his eyes back down to his Switch and decided that perhaps it was a good idea to _actually_ indulge in a few rounds of the racing game, as he did _not_ want to get aroused in the school’s courtyard (more than he already was), especially when he knew that Kuroo would be accompanying him on his walk home from school, as per usual.

For the rest of the match, Kenma focused solitarily on the device he held in front of him, all while listening to the laughs and exclamations that came from the court. A few times, he felt Kuroo’s dark eyes on him, trying to let him know that he remembered that Kenma was there, under the fateful tree. The setter couldn’t help but smile slightly each time, knowing that Kuroo’s high level of focus is only established when he is certain that the younger boy is content.

The small things like this that are present within the bond that the two boys share are slightly confusing to their fellow volleyball players, as many of the Nekoma teammates question whether the pair are dating or not.

Of course, every time the subject is teasingly brought up, Kenma shoots the proposals down with a piercing glare, while Kuroo playfully whines about how Kenma finds him too annoying to be with him. Kenma then states that they are just like Hinata Shoyou and Kageyama Tobio from the Karasuno team, and that they work well together on a level that can’t be explained simply. However, this defence fell apart horrendously on Kenma’s behalf when the entire team found out that the red-head and the setter were in a relationship after they were caught sharing kisses in the locker room at one of the annual training camps. Talk about fuelling the fire.

Suddenly, the petite setter was yanked out of his state of concentration as a volleyball pelted his arm.

“Come on, Kenma,” Lev yelled from across the courtyard, “School’s out!”

The team was retreating back into the large school building, making their way towards the exit with their bags slung over their shoulders, and engaging in chitchat on their way out. Kenma realized that over thirty minutes had passed since Kuroo removed his shirt, the setter being more immersed in his video game than he had anticipated.

He smiled as Lev said his goodbyes and continued to walk off with Inuoka, a state of surpise still present in Kenma’s mind as his obliviousness towards the amount of time passed was slightly disorienting. He started to stand, stretching his lithe limbs and placing his Switch in its case then moving it to his backpack carefully. He breathed softly and looked around, realizing that Kuroo was nowhere to be seen. A sense of disappointment permeated his chest and he worked out that the team’s captain must have left without him, which was unusual.

Just as he was pulling his phone from his back pocket to check for any texts from the older boy, a large hand jostled his shoulder and a firm chest pressed up against his back, partnered with a soft “Ah!” coming from approximately seven inches above him. As Kenma turned around, a soft smile started to form as he immediately registered who it was that took it upon themselves to sneakily startle him.

“Kenma-kun,” the spikey-haired boy drew out with a deep laugh, “No way you actually thought I left you behind!”

Kenma made eye-contact with the taller boy, blushing furiously and ignoring his question. “You didn’t have to scare me like that, Kuroo. I don’t know how you manage to get me every time.”

Thank God Kuroo had put his shirt back on. The two boys were so close in proximity that Kenma’s heart would have simply given out if he was still shirtless, muscles on display.

“I guess I just know you too well.” Kuroo crooned and admittedly, he was right. The captain moved his hand to Kenma’s shoulder and let it sit there as he chuckled, eyes bright and skin flushed.

“Right,” Kenma smiled, “Did you end up winning against Inuoka’s team?”

“Kenma-kun!” Kuroo gasped dramatically, “So not only did you assume the worst of me, but you weren’t paying attention either?”

“I _was_ watching, but my Switch called my name. Gotta get those hours in.” Kenma cringed.

Kuroo seemed to accept this as a passable excuse, “Well, that’s fair. Especially since you’ll be too busy tonight having fun to play Super Smash Bros for the millionth time!”

“Hey, I haven’t even played Smash in a month, and—,” Kenma processed what Kuroo said, “Wait, what?”

“Kenma, don’t tell me you forgot!” Another dramatic gasp. “It’s Friday, and we’re having a sleepover. It’s been too long since Kenma-kun has stepped foot in my room!”

Kenma knit his eyebrows together, trying to convey an unvoiced protest, but on the inside he was buzzing with excitement upon the reminder of their previously scheduled plan. On the last Friday of every month, one of the two friends will stay over at the other’s house. For the past few months, Kuroo had been coming to Kenma’s as the blond’s parents absolutely _loved_ the older boy, almost to the point where Kenma was concerned that they were going to try to adopt him. Additionally, Kenma enjoyed having Kuroo in his room so that he could silently play video games into the early hours of the morning when his friend fell asleep.

“Sorry, Kuroo,” Kenma said, “I did mark it on my calendar, though!”

“Don’t worry about it,” Kuroo flashed him a warm smile that made the setter’s heart explode, “But we gotta get going, it’s almost four!”

Kenma nodded, and pitched his satchel over his shoulder, heavy textbooks weighing him down slightly as he stood up fully next to Kuroo, who immediately noticed the small inconvenience. Among the obvious things, like how Kenma prefers chicken to pork, Kuroo has always noticed small things, or well, _all_ things pertaining to Kenma.

When Kenma was in Kindergarten and Kuroo was just entering the first grade, the elder of the two picked up on Kenma’s early signs of social anxiety upon observing him tremble while meeting Kuroo’s new, rambunctious friends for the first time. In a heartbeat, Kuroo’s fingers were gently wrapped around the smaller boy’s forearm, caressing him in a manner that silently screamed ' _It’s okay, I’m here'_.

He always discerns Kenma’s habit of picking at his nail beds when he’s nervous or excited, and in response to this action, Kuroo initiates a thumb war with the smaller boy to distract his busy fingers. He always catches sight of how Kenma has to blow the lengthy strands of hair that get in his face when he’s playing volleyball, and after the captain noticed this for the first time, he came to school the next day with four packs of hair elastics. And, every time Kenma comes to the early-morning practices with bloodshot eyes and a red nose, Kuroo fights the insatiable urge to hold the setter in his arms and coax the worries out of him, whatever they may be.

But, along with noticing small things and the heaps of idiosyncrasies that Kenma Kozume possesses as a person, Kuroo is also aware of his boundaries. He knows never to push Kenma too hard in terms of opening up on the secretive emotions that he keeps within his mind and chest. For over a decade of their friendship, Kuroo has been certain of _one_ thing pertaining to his feelings towards his best friends; he will _never_ , in a million years, inflict pain on him.

“Kenma, let me carry that for you,” Kuroo motioned to his heavy satchel, “I can tell you’re exhausted from our practice this morning. Coach Nekomata really did tire all of us out, and I can’t imagine staying up til’ four last night is helping your case.”

“Kuroo,” Kenma protested, “It’s fine. It’s not like I’m an infant or anything.”

Kuroo agreed, and didn’t want Kenma feel as though that was what he was insinuating.

“C’mon, Kenma,” he said, “Let me just carry it halfway. I’ve been missing my trips to the gym because of the daily practices this week, so it’d be good compensation. It’s a win-win situation!”

Feeling disgruntled, Kenma submitted to the situation, grumbling out a small “Fine”.

Kuroo skipped in victory, took the hefty bag off of Kenma’s shoulder and placed it on his own, his own bag balancing out the weight, which didn’t affect the blocker much either way.

As they walked home, Kuroo indulged in conversation, filling Kenma in on the usual drama pertaining to his sisters who were just entering High School. Each day, the captain enjoyed telling Kenma about everything going on in his and his family’s life, making sure to pause and ask the setter questions relating to the matter at hand.

Throughout their trek, Kenma thinks about how far out of his way Kuroo goes to walk the blond home every single day. They reach Kuroo’s street in just over twenty minutes as they had taken a direct route, but Kenma notes that it is almost in the opposite direction of his own house, which is just South of Nekoma High. He had brought this up to Kuroo before, insisting that he doesn’t walk _all_ the way to Kenma’s house each day, but Kuroo shoots him down every time and jokes about how he can’t let Kenma get in harm’s way.

Today was no different, Kenma taking a moment of silence to bring up a protest that Kuroo had heard many times before.

“Your street is literally almost on the opposite side of the city compared to my house, Kuroo. You don’t have to walk me home everyday, y’know.”

Kuroo’s gaze fell from the cloudless sky to meet Kenma, “But I want to.”

Kenma averted his eyes, “Why?”

“You know,” Kuroo said slyly, “Can’t have my _kitten_ getting into any form of danger.”

Kenma’s hair stood on end at the nickname that Kuroo had bestowed upon him years ago, but tried to quickly move past it, knowing that Kuroo would jokingly accuse him of being a “kinky bastard” as he had called it in the past. _My_ kitten.

“Kuroo,” Kenma whined, hoping he didn’t sound as titillated as he felt, “You know I’d be fine by myself. I walk home during pure daylight — I should be the one concerned for you since your walking time is doubled and probably leads into sunset!”

“Yeah, and who’s gonna come at _this_?” Kuroo scoffed, flexing his arms dramatically, swinging the two backpacks around.

Kenma tensed, immediately looking away again, trying not to make visible heart-eyes at Kuroo’s powerful arms. He figured long ago that Kuroo _must_ know that Kenma is affected by the display of muscles, regardless of who they belong to, due to the constant tantalizing actions that Kuroo does to tease his best friend.

One day, when leaving practice, Kuroo caught Kenma in a daze while his gaze was locked hungrily on Lev’s well-defined abs, and had refused to shut up about his discovery for months. It’s not as though Kenma has felt the same yearning attraction towards Lev that he feels towards Kuroo, but he can appreciate an attractive person when he sees one.

Kenma drops his side of the debate and mumbles to himself quietly as Kuroo smiles cockily, knowing that for the majority of the time, he will always win the small bantering arguments that take place between him and the setter.

Sooner than expected, Kenma found himself walking up the stairs to the Kuroo household, breathing in the familiar scent that was amplified in the air surrounding him.

As Kuroo was unlocking the burgundy front door, he turned his head to Kenma, “Just so you know, my parents aren’t home tonight. My sisters are, but they shouldn’t bother us too much — you know how much they like you, though!”

Kuroo was certainly correct regarding his siblings’ adoration for Kenma, as they used to constantly beg him to allow them to style his hair in complicated configurations that involved much braiding and ended with Kuroo snapping dozens of pictures.

The pair entered through the doorway, Kuroo locking the door behind him and leading Kenma through his living room towards the staircase leading down to his room. The smaller boy realized that it _had_ been quite a while since he had visited Kuroo’s house, for a sleepover, at least, and he was curious to see whether his room had changed at all.

Kuroo had always been less organized, especially as a younger child, but as he grew older his mother would scold him every time he left dirty dishes on the floor of his room and kept his bed in shambles, not bothering to move his comforter even when it touched the floor. Eventually, his motive and cleaning skills improved, and while they weren’t completely up to par with his mother’s standards, the step up was certainly an achievement.

In an act of instinct, Kuroo heaved the bags that he carried onto the couch in the living room as he passed by, then profusely apologized to Kenma, assuring him that his Switch survived the impact. Kenma rolled his eyes gingerly and this time, took both bags and led himself downstairs, Kuroo following in a cloud of slight guilt.

“To the left.” Kuroo directed Kenma as they reached the base of the staircase.

“Hey, it hasn’t been long enough for me to forget where your room is.”

Kuroo stepped in front of Kenma to turn the doorknob, considering the pair of bags that the smaller boy was carrying. He stepped inside his room and held the door open graciously for Kenma to walk through, glancing around at the space that was all _Kuroo's_.

The walls were painted an ashy shade of blue as always, and were adorned with a handful of large posters and printed pictures of volleyball matter. Kuroo had a double-sized bed that sat in right corner of his room with white bedsheets and a comforter with a light grey pattern. Upon seeing the bed, Kenma was reminded of one of their earlier sleepovers, it being the first time Kuroo had convinced the younger boy to share a bed with him — Kenma spent half the night awake, listening to the sounds of Kuroo sleeping peacefully all while he was pressed against the wall in a state of nerves, scared that he would disturb his friend.

To Kenma’s dismay, Kuroo _had_ ended up waking up shortly after falling asleep for some unknown reason, claiming that he felt the other’s anxious feelings. Kenma remembered clearly how Kuroo delicately wrapped his hand around the small of his back and pried his body away from the smooth wall, telling Kenma that it was _okay to be close_. He expressed that he couldn’t care less if Kenma squished him or kicked him in his sleep, and that he was accustomed to sharing a bed with one of his siblings while staying in a hotel. This had calmed Kenma’s nerves, but set off a much different sensation in his chest, one that never leaves when Kuroo is around.

The dark-haired boy let out a sigh and fell back on his bed, bouncing slightly on the mattress and patting a space that he left beside him for Kenma and the short setter knew that Kuroo would expect some form of innocent physical contact that night. By nature, Kuroo was an _extremely_ touchy person. Whether it be Kenma, or even someone from a different volleyball team, Kuroo’s love language was evidently touch. While Kenma may flush in self-consciousness when Kuroo pulls Kenma into his sturdy chest for no reason in particular, the blond feels no happier than when Kuroo caresses him and runs his hands through Kenma’s hair.

“C’mere,” Kuroo said, beckoning him to leave their bags on the floor, “Do you wanna watch a movie or something?”

“It’s too early,” Kenma groaned, “You better not fall asleep before eleven tonight!”

“Don’t worry, I’ve been training for this,” Kuroo teased, “I’ve been staying up late on my own and— oh, Kenma-kun! I even cleaned my room for you last night.”

“Wow, I’m flattered.” He really was.

“Anything for you, kitten.” Kuroo added with a grin.

Kenma prayed that Kuroo couldn’t feel his core jolt on the mattress in response to that god-forsaken word.

The pair ended up watching a few episodes of Kuroo’s favourite comedy-drama series, aired on the television that was perched conveniently in front of the captain’s bed. Kuroo sat up, fixated on the plot while Kenma lay nonchalantly against the wall next to Kuroo, knees coiled up to his chest as he scrolled through social media, showing the occasional funny post to the larger boy, who would carelessly avert his focus on the show to indulge in whatever Kenma wanted to show him.

* * *

As Kenma got off the phone with the pizza restaurant, he fixed Kuroo with a furious glare as the tall boy broke out in a fit of laughter.

“Kuroo!” Kenma’s voice was nearing a yell, “The poor guy had no idea what was going on.”

With that, Kuroo laughed even harder, tears brimming his hazel eyes. “Oh my god,” he wheezed, “The way he— When he asked if everything was okay—,”

Another strong wave of joyous laughter wracked his body as he toppled over onto his side, black hair tickling Kenma’s thigh.

Of course, Kuroo had insisted that Kenma was the one to do the speaking, even though Kuroo was usually quick to volunteer to order in place of the more introverted boy. Kenma thought it was odd, but didn’t really pay much attention to it, figuring that the captain was worn out today. However, he soon found out that wasn’t the case.

As soon as Kenma had started to list off what they had decided to order, Kuroo grabbed him around his small midsection, pulling him onto his crossed legs and started to poke and prod his sides, tickling him excitedly. Kuroo has always taken advantage of the younger boy’s extreme sensitivity, especially around his neck and underarms, rendering him into a squealing mess every time he decided to attack him with fleeting touches.

Kenma tensed up, stumbling over his words as he tried to finish his sentence while attempting to bottle up squeamish laughter and push Kuroo’s hands away. He knew it was no use, though — while Kenma was agile and quick, there was no way he could pry Kuroo’s strong hands off of _anything_ , much less himself.

“And, um,” Kenma tried to finish his order, his voice cracking, “I’d also like a—,”

He was cut off as Kuroo playfully _bit his neck_ and jabbed his fingers into the soft skin under the blond’s ribs. Kenma gasped and dropped his cellphone on his bed, whipping his head around to meet Kuroo’s gleaming eyes as his breath ghosted over Kenma’s neck for a little too long.

“Oh my god, Kuroo!” he whispered harshly, “Stop it. I’m serious.”

The raven-haired boy pulled his mouth away, but didn’t let Kenma leave his lap as he lay back with a hand on the smaller boy’s hip and covered his face with his pillow, trying to suppress his giddy laughter.

“I’m so sorry about that,” Kenma cleared his throat as he placed the cellphone back against his cheek, relieved that the worker hadn’t hung up on him, “I would also like to add a large Hawaiian pizza to our order, and that’ll be it.”

“Sure thing, sir,” Kuroo heard a tinny voice come through the speakers of Kenma’s phone, “And, may I ask if everything is okay over there?” The person on the other end of the line cleared his throat nervously.

Kuroo nearly broke at this, and as Kenma was hurriedly assuring the staff that all was good, the older boy sat up and did something that made Kenma genuinely, absolutely want to faint in desperation.

As Kenma was speaking, Kuroo firmly but slowly, _licked_ the side of Kenma’s neck, grinning as he made his way up. This action made the smaller boy, who, mind you, was _still_ in Kuroo’s lap, freeze up and choke out a true moan. A high-pitched, keening whine that could be classified as a mewl, or maybe a sound of shock or discomfort in Kuroo’s mind, considering the fact that his intention probably wasn’t to arouse his best friend.

Kenma felt blood surge to not only his cheeks, but his chest and the pit of his stomach that he so desperately tried to ignore. He quickly tried to apologize once again to the worker on the line but couldn’t form proper sentences, words coming out broken and stuttered. He managed to say that delivery would be great, then a rushed goodbye. Kenma hung up and threw his phone down, it bouncing off the bed and landing on the floor, which was fortunately carpeted.

Up until the pizza was delivered by a man who seemed to be different from whomever Kenma had talked to on the phone based on his casual demeanour, Kuroo wouldn’t let Kenma hear the end of it as tears of laughter continuously streamed down his cheeks. Kenma spent the span of thirty minutes processing what had just happened while keeping a harsh exterior, letting Kuroo know that he was angry — well, more so frustrated, revolving around the fact that he wanted _more_. He couldn’t get the image of Kuroo licking up his neck out of his mind, and he felt the urge to trace his fingers over the spot, the span of skin feeling as though it was on fire.

However, the tension dissipated as they ate their pizza and Kuroo offered Kenma his uneaten crusts. Kenma teased him for skimping out on what he called the “best part”, fuelled by the pre-existing rage that was present from the phone call. They joked about, Kenma eventually giggling as Kuroo brought up the way he had dropped his phone when the hazel-eyed boy had bitten his neck.

“I always say this,” Kuroo said, “But I swear, you’re really just a kinky bastard under your soft exterior, Kenma-kun.”

“What the hell, Kuroo. Shut up.”

“Okay, I’m definitely right about this. First the kitten thing, then the muscle thing, and now… Pain play or something?”

“You seem to know an awful lot about this shit, Kuroo,” Kenma retorted gamesomely, “Perhaps you’re just self-projecting your stuff onto me… Your poor, innocent friend.”

Kuroo barked out an exclamation of laughter, shocked by Kenma’s boldness.

“Hey, now,” Kuroo mused, “Don’t get it too twisted. ‘Kitten’ isn’t even that weird — it’s just like me calling Bokuto from Fukurodani a ‘little owl’.”

At this, Kenma laughed but he couldn’t help take notice of the pang of jealously blooming in his chest. He knew pet names weren’t exclusive to him and that Kuroo wasn’t romantically interested in Bokuto, but Kenma has never been able to ease his possessive feelings over his friend. He never shows it explicitly, but it was difficult to remain composed when every single girl throughout elementary, middle school, and now secondary, fawned over Kuroo, with reasons that Kenma understood completely.

Later on, after the three large boxes of food were ravaged by everyone in Kuroo’s residence, Kenma found himself checking the time on his phone and being surprised at the fact that it was nearing midnight and Kuroo _still_ seemed to be energized. Kenma quickly texted his parents goodnight, hopefully convincing them that they were getting to sleep a bit earlier. His mother immediately replied and told Kenma to relay her greetings to the tall boy who was currently attempting to help his youngest sister with her math homework.

After a few more minutes of the siblings debating on whether the amount of times that Kuroo’s sister had taken his place to clean the dishes was appropriate compensation for Kuroo to finish her assignment, the older boy broke away and took Kenma by the hand, leading him down to his room once again.

As the pair were making their way downstairs, Kenma heard his sister yell, “You guys better be quiet. Tell Kuroo that we can all hear him at night.”

He wasn’t sure if Kuroo had also heard this, but judging by the tightened grip on Kenma’s hand, he certainly didn’t want to explain what his sister had meant by her words.

“I’m surprised she wasn’t begging you to allow her to try a new hairstyle on you, Kenma-kun.” Kuroo said as they reached their destination.

“Oh yeah,” Kenma smiled, “I kind of miss having my hair done. But I’m not too upset about it because that means no new blackmail will be taken tonight!”

“Damn it, I was hoping to expand my collection.” Kuroo said, “Wait, I have a proposition for you, dear Kenma.”

Kenma snorted, “Go on.”

“How about,” Kuroo grinned mischievously, “I do your hair tonight, and I won’t even take a picture afterwards. It’ll be in good fun.”

Kenma hesitated, knowing that the picture aspect of it was a lie. But then, he thought about Kuroo’s smooth digits running through his hair. Kenma loved it when others played with his hair, and the fact that _Kuroo_ was offering was more than enough to convince Kenma, his head nodding immediately.

“Fine,” he said, “But seriously don’t mess it up to the point where I have to like, cut it off or something.”

“Kenma!” Kuroo exclaimed indignantly, “First of all, I have two younger sisters whom I have been assisting with their hair for many years. Second of all, you _know_ I love your long hair and I swear I wouldn’t fuck it up. I’ll be extra careful for you.”

This was enough reassurance for Kenma, as he felt warmth spread across his chest upon hearing the subtle compliment that Kuroo had casually said. But the latter had to be certain that Kenma was confident in his abilities and relaxed, so he gently slung his arm around Kenma’s shoulder, pulling the younger boy into his frame, resting his chin on top of his head.

“Don’t worry,” Kuroo said softly, “Kitten.”

Kenma shivered slightly at the word that had been added as an afterthought in attempt to calm the setter down, when in reality it made his heart beat faster. He wouldn’t let Kuroo know that, though.

“Tetsurou, of course I trust you.” Kenma rolled his eyes, smiling.

It wasn’t common for the younger boy to call Kuroo by his first name. Kenma knew that he preferred to be called ‘Kuroo’, especially in more casual settings like school. But, he had expressed in the past that he liked it when Kenma calls him ‘Tetsurou’, as long as he didn’t overdo it. There WAS a small phase that lasted a couple months in which Kenma couldn’t get enough of his friend’s first name, using the nickname “Tetsu” every time he wanted something, knowing that Kuroo was oddly affected by it. Although, he hadn’t used it in a while, and as soon as he heard it come out of Kenma’s mouth, Kuroo squeezed the small boy even closer.

He then moved around on the mattress awkwardly as he was on his knees and then sat perched behind Kenma.

Their height difference hadn’t always been obvious, as Kuroo had been a late bloomer, being quite average and perhaps even on the short side in elementary school, height-wise. However, when he hit the eighth grade and Kenma was still in seventh, he went through a major growth-spurt, height and voice included. Kenma, on the other hand, stayed about the same height of approximately 5’6, which Kuroo really seemed to like since it was easy for him to rest his arm on Kenma's head whenever he desired.

As he was positioned behind Kenma, Kuroo realized how slight the younger boy’s frame was when being compared to his much larger body. He felt the urge to pick Kenma up, which he knew wouldn’t be too difficult given the amount of the times he had lifted him up while hugging. Kenma’s back was slightly curved and his hands were placed by his sides as he sat cross-legged in front of the blocker, waiting for him to tousle his bleached hair.

Kuroo shook his thoughts away, then decided to attempt a half-up-half-down hairstyle that his sisters were quite fond of. He retrieved a comb from his dresser top that had slight remnants of Kuroo’s hair gel on the picks, hoping that Kenma wouldn’t mind the scent. He combed through his hair gently, asking if it hurt every time the comb caught on a small tangle in the smaller boy’s hair.

Kuroo carefully divided the upper-layer of Kenma’s hair and ran his fingers through it, wanting to feel the smooth strands fall through his fingers. Kenma revelled in this sensation and shifted slightly in his spot, trying to remind himself not to indulge _too_ much.

“Do you have a hair-tie on you?” Kuroo asked quietly, knowing that Kenma liked to tie his hair back when he got too hot in his Biology classroom.

Kenma nodded and pulled one from his wrist, handing it back to Kuroo, who took it and proceeded to tie the section of hair that he held back with one hand.

“Looks good,” he murmured under his breath as he pulls small strands out of the front of the Kenma’s hairline, framing his face.

The younger boy smiled and was ready to move away to check out his hair, but Kuroo tutted and pulled him back gingerly by his shoulders. “One more thing.”

Quickly, Kuroo braided two strands of hair that fell just in front of Kenma’s ears, his fingers surprisingly accurate and nimble, Kenma feeling thoroughly impressed.

“Alright, all done!” Kuroo exclaimed, “I think it looks pretty good if I do say so myself. Let’s go to my bathroom so you can see.”

They pattered to the bathroom, which was just next-door of the captain’s bedroom and Kenma’s green eyes lit up when he caught sight of his reflection. He really liked it, and not just because Kuroo had done it and Kenma likes everything Kuroo does by default — but no. Kenma genuinely liked the way the braids complimented the hairstyle that revealed more of his face, which he was normally opposed to.

“I like it, Kuroo,” Kenma said timidly, “Thank you.”

“See!” Kuroo exclaimed, “What’d I tell you? I’m glad you like it, I should start doing your hair for school, or something.”

Kenma’s mind went to the image of waking up with Kuroo every morning in the same bed and heading to school together. He immediately suppressed these thoughts and plastered a smile across his face, eyes twinkling up at Kuroo.

As Kuroo was leaning to turn off the lights in his bathroom, he hesitated, “Ah—, Hold on.”

The tall boy reached over Kenma and opened his cabinet door, “I just need to get some lotion…”

Both boys stiffened as their eyes were greeted by not only lotion, but a plastic cup filled to the brim with shiny packets of condoms and a half-empty bottle of raspberry-scented lube.

Kuroo groaned and hid his face in his hands, “Oh my god, fucking Bokuto got those for me last time I saw him.”

Kenma was still in a state of shock and perverse awkwardness. He avoided looking at his friend’s face in fear that he would be able to tell that Kenma couldn’t tear his eyes away from the neatly packaged condoms that had the words ‘XTRA-LARGE’ printed all over them.

Surely that could be a joke right? Kenma’s eyes widened slightly, noting that it _had_ been years seen he had seen his friend completely nude, and that he hadn’t ever been, well, interested in what was _down there_ when they were younger and shared baths.

He then dug his nails into his palm, telling himself to snap out of it and that it was weird to think about Kuroo’s dick size. Well, at least when he was standing right beside him.

Kuroo mumbled something about getting out of there, shut the cabinet firmly and turned off the lights, lotion long forgotten. They resorted back to Kuroo’s room in silence, the older boy red like a tomato. Kenma genuinely could not shake the thoughts that kept intruding his mind, and it didn’t get any better when he realized that the bottle of lubricant had been just over half-used. On top of that, it was raspberry scented, which Kenma knew was Kuroo’s favourite fruit. Is it weird that he found it kind of endearing?

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, calculating their thoughts. Kuroo’s hands were planted against his knees as he wondered what Kenma was thinking. Did he assume that Kuroo was some sort of sex-addict? Or what if Kenma thought Kuroo had been sleeping around and didn’t want to let Kenma in on a secret? Bullshit, obviously.

Kenma could feel Kuroo’s thigh muscles tensing up more and more as the seconds ran by, the bed starting to quiver a little bit. While he was unsure on what to say, the younger boy decided that he needed to break the silence first, which wasn’t very common.

“So,” he started tentatively, “Extra large, huh?”

Kuroo looked up at his friend very slowly. Kenma started to internally panic, worried that he had offended the spiky-haired boy, but the nerves soon left his body as Kuroo’s shit-eating grin started to form on his lips.

He let out a laugh of relief and pushed Kenma’s chest playfully, who mirrored Kuroo’s smile. Afterwards, they broke into lighthearted conversation about Coach Nekomata’s Facebook profile which the team had found earlier in the week while changing. Despite the silly jokes regarding the Coach’s unwavering love for tabby cats, Kenma found himself thinking back to Kuroo’s response to his playful way of breaking the silence. He didn’t say that Bokuto was wrong.

Kenma glanced at the small black alarm clock that stood on Kuroo’s nightstand, realizing that it was definitely long past the older boy’s usual bedtime. He looked at his friend, who was now lying on the carpeted floor next to his bed where Kenma sat.

They had talked for a couple hours straight about volleyball politics, the petty drama between Karasuno’s team and Fukurodani’s players, and school assignments. Kuroo would ask occasional questions about video games that were set to be released in the following months, trying to demonstrate interest in Kenma’s passion, though Kenma knew that the only reason why Kuroo subscribed to Gaming News was so that he could talk to his friend about it.

“Hey, it’s getting pretty late,” Kenma said, yawning quietly, “Why don’t we get ready for bed?”

Kuroo tried to protest, sitting up and insisting that he wasn’t tired.

“C’mon Kuroo,” the blond smiled, “We can put on that movie you wanted to watch earlier.”

This convinced the dark-haired boy, as he shot up and moved to his bathroom, Kenma trailing behind him. Both boys felt their faces burn as they were reminded of what lay just behind the cabinet door upon stepping in front of the large mirror. Kuroo grabbed his toothbrush along with the toothbrush that Kenma had left in his bathroom months ago, in the case of sleepovers. They brushed their teeth in silence, at point Kuroo choked on the toothpaste in his mouth which caused Kenma to laugh.

They continued washing up together, Kenma’s hair still tied back prettily, which Kuroo couldn’t help but admire in the mirror when he thought the blond boy couldn’t see him. As they finished, Kuroo skipped back to his room feeling refreshed with a minty taste on his tongue.

“Shit,” the blocker said, looking at Kenma, “We forgot to stop by yours to get you a change of clothes.”

“Oh, right,” Kenma flushed, “That’s okay. There have been countless times where I just fall asleep in uniform.”

“Kenma-kun! Coach is gonna get mad if you let your shorts get any more wrinkled than they already are,” Kuroo retorted, “You can just borrow some of my stuff. I probably have a shirt from like, seven years ago that’ll fit you.”

“Hey!” Kenma exclaimed, “Shut up. It’s more like four years. But whatever.”

Kuroo chortled with laughter, and riffled through his dresser drawer. He drew back empty-handed, then moved to his closet which obviously hadn’t been utilized in a while. Kenma saw a few different jerseys and uniforms, all being slightly smaller than the other.

Kuroo huffed, then closed the doors in annoyance. He then moved back to his dresser, yanking the drawers open and pulling out a grey t-shirt and a pair of black shorts.

“I think my mom got rid of all of my old clothes, except for my uniforms,” Kuroo said, “So unless you want to wear my old volleyball gear, you’re gonna have to settle for my regular clothes.”

“Thanks, Kuroo,” Kenma chuckled, “And that’s alright. I don’t know if your shorts are going to fit me, though.”

The pair glanced at the black shorts that Kuroo held in his left hand. He held them up to Kenma’s waist, and laughed when he saw that they almost went past his knees.

“Just try ‘em on anyways, it’ll be funny.”

Kenma complied, shuffling to Kuroo’s bathroom despite his protests of “it’s nothing I haven’t seen before!”. Which, was technically true, but not entirely. Kuroo probably hadn’t seen Kenma without clothes for a couple years now, unless they counted the instances in their locker room. However, Kenma usually preferred to change by himself, in a stall while Kuroo playfully fought his teammates, all while being shirtless.

As Kenma slipped the grey t-shirt over his head, the first thing he noticed was the fact that the shirt smelled like a mix of laundry detergent and Kuroo, which the small boy loved. He bunched up the neckline and brought it to his nose, revelling in the smell of his friend’s natural scent, his pine-y cologne and cleanliness. He then shook his head briskly, realizing that it was probably a little too weird to be enthusiastically sniffing Kuroo’s clothing, especially when there was a possibility that he could walk in on Kenma any moment now.

The blond then tried pulling up Kuroo’s loose shorts, but he found it to be hopeless case. The waistband wouldn’t even sit on Kenma’s hips without sliding down his legs pitifully, even when Kenma pulled the drawstrings to their full extent. He let the shorts slide down and pool around his feet, looking at himself in the mirror. He chose to wear actual boxer briefs today, which hit just over mid-thigh and they seemed to be sufficiently covered by the length of Kuroo’s shirt.

Kenma stood there, pondering his options for a few minutes, then was interrupted by a rapt knock on the bathroom door.

“Yeah?” Kenma gulped.

“Kenma-kun,” Kuroo drawled from outside the door, “Is everything okay?”

“Yep. All good, Kuroo.”

“I wanna see you,” the dark-haired boy leaned against the door, “Do the shorts actually fit?”

“Not really,” Kenma looked down at the shorts, “I might just wear my volleyball shorts.”

“Wait, come out if you’re decent.”

Kenma huffed, taking another look in the mirror. The shirt cut off at just above his kneecaps, and he realized that this was the shirt that Kuroo wore to practice sometimes, the one that clung tightly to his arms and chest, showing off his build.

“It looks like I’m drowning in your shirt,” Kenma said, “Don’t laugh.”

“Okay, okay!” Kuroo persisted.

Kenma hastily opened the door and walked out, carrying the shorts beside him in a hurry as he walked back to Kuroo’s room. The older boy let out a small sound of shock and followed him, eyes trailing down the backs of his bare legs.

Kenma plopped down on Kuroo’s bed, cheeks slightly flushed, “I _am_ wearing boxers. I tried putting your shorts on but they just fall off of me.”

“Well, that’s okay!” Kuroo assured him, “Just stay like that. I kinda like seeing you in my shirt.”

Kenma’s cheeks reddened at this statement, which proved to be true judging by the way Kuroo eyed the exposed skin around Kenma’s neck that was more prominent than usual due to the oversized fit of his t-shirt. Kuroo was unsure if Kenma knew how possessive he was over the smaller boy.

Kuroo had always noticed the way Kenma would frown every time he flirted jokingly with teammates and the way that the setter would reach out and hold the hem of Kuroo’s shirt as they walked away from a girl asking Kuroo for his number. He knew that the blond boy tried to hide his slight jealousy, but wasn’t very good at it. However, he wondered how the younger boy interpreted Kuroo’s need for physical contact in public. Kuroo _did_ love the physical contact that he engaged in with all of his loved ones, but Kenma is the only person who gets pulled in close to Kuroo’s chest when they’re out and about casually. How he’s the only one who the raven-haired boy stands behind and loops his arms around Kenma’s shoulders, resting his chin on the younger boy’s head when the pair are talking to someone on Nekoma’s team. Either way, Kuroo didn’t care too much whether Kenma knew or not, but he constantly tried to remind himself that Kenma wasn’t ‘his’, and that he technically didn’t have the right to feel so territorial over the smaller boy. Even so, that didn’t change the fact that he could feel Kenma relax every time Kuroo placed his hands on him.

So, it was an understatement to say that Kuroo ‘kinda liked seeing’ Kenma in his clothes. In fact, Kuroo wanted the smaller boy to wear his shirts everywhere so that everyone knew how close they were. He’d buy a whole new wardrobe if Kenma wanted him to.

“Thanks,” Kenma smiled, “Are you gonna change or anything?”

Kuroo realized that he was still in his uniform, and nodded, thanking the boy for reminding him. Unlike Kenma, the blocker felt no need to move rooms to change. He grabbed a black tank top and slipped it on quickly, Kenma purposefully looking away at his phone, but couldn’t help but glance up in the corner of his eye at the sight of Kuroo’s bare torso.

“If you’re not gonna use these, I’ll just wear them.” Kuroo said, picking up the black shorts that he had offered to Kenma prior.

He then turned off his lights and jumped onto his bed, bouncing Kenma up and down joyfully. “Okay, so, we’re gonna watch this new horror movie that just came out. I managed to get it pirated.”

Kenma groaned, as Kuroo knew that he had always disliked horror moves due to the sudden jump scares and piercing sounds. However, he enjoyed watching them with Kuroo, who would make silly commentary throughout the film and squeeze Kenma during the especially scary scenes.

As the movie started to play, Kuroo propped up a mountain of pillows behind the pairs’ heads and beckoned Kenma to move from his sitting position on the edge of the bed and lie down on the soft bed.

Kenma hesitated, unable to snap his eyes away from Kuroo’s large biceps, a result of vehement training and frequent visits to the school’s gym. Kuroo then took matters into his own hands, sitting up and pulling the smaller boy into his chest effortlessly, Kenma letting out a small squeak.

“It’s okay, kitten,” Kuroo purred, “Let’s watch.”

Kenma found himself laying next to Kuroo with his head supported by a couple pillows and Kuroo’s arm under his upper back, the taller boy’s hand wrapped around his arm.

About halfway through the film, Kenma realized that he hadn’t been paying much attention on the gory scenes that took place, making Kuroo flinch. He was more focused on the sensation of Kuroo’s chest rising and falling next to Kenma as the large boy lay on his side. Kenma couldn’t help but admire Kuroo’s features while they were in such close proximity, fighting the urge to trace his fingers over his friend’s cheekbones. Kuroo had always been attractive, being complimented by all and often asked for his cell number by strangers on the street. Kenma felt lucky to be able to spend the most time with Kuroo, and often wondered if Kuroo would feel the same way towards Kenma and his feline-like appearance.

Suddenly, Kuroo shifted in his spot, shuffling around uncomfortably. He removed his arm from under Kenma’s weight, the blond boy nearly letting out a whine of complaint before stopping himself angrily.

“It’s so fucking hot in here,” Kuroo groaned, “My dad decided to turn off the A/C at night and all I can do is leave that window open.” He motioned to a small window in the top left corner of his room.

Kenma shrugged. He felt content, but that could quite possibly be because he was happy to just lie next to Kuroo.

“Kenma-kun,” Kuroo said sweetly, “Do you mind if I take my shirt off?”

Kenma’s eyes widened slightly. He considered his options, knowing that if Kuroo removed his shirt, it would definitely spark something within the dirty part of Kenma’s brain. But, he couldn’t exactly oppose as that would come off as even more odd.

“That’s fine.” Kenma mumbled quietly, looking down.

How the hell was he supposed to sleep next to his friend, knowing that the same muscles that caused him to blush furiously today during the volleyball match were there, uncovered in all their glory?

Kuroo then sat up and pulled his tank top gingerly over his hair, which had lost most of its upright form throughout the span of the night. Kenma couldn’t help the fact that his breath caught in his throat as soon as he caught sight of Kuroo’s back and the side of his torso which was illuminated by the bright blue tint of the TV screen. He prayed silently that his body wouldn’t react too strongly to Kuroo’s half-naked form, and smiled tentatively as Kuroo lay back once again, petting Kenma’s hair with a grin on his face. The pair continued watching the movie, one of them being intently enraptured with what was going on and the other slowly dozing off. Surprisingly, Kenma was the one who felt sleep taking him gently whereas Kuroo still felt energized enough to continue the movie.

It was when Kuroo felt a strand of Kenma’s soft hair brush against his exposed chest that he realized that the younger boy had fallen asleep without the distraction of video games to keep him up. He looked down fondly at the expression of peace and serenity that was painted over his friend’s face, and tenderly moved one of Kenma’s loose strands of hair out from in front of his shut eye.

The dark-haired boy quietly turned off the television and maneuvered the bedsheets over Kenma’s limp form, careful not to wake him. He then adjusted his position slightly, rearranging the pillows in a more comfortable manner and moved down so that Kenma’s head was just under Kuroo’s chin. He covered the two of them with his comforter despite the heat, and brought his arm around Kenma’s, gently brushing his back.

Kuroo knew that the amount of cuddling that he and Kenma partook in would definitely be considered weird by anyone who might catch sight of them. Weird, in the sense that it’s not completely normal for a pair of best friends to sleep with their limbs intertwined, the taller boy pressing occasional kisses into the head of the blond. Kuroo knew that it was unusual, but he would never want it any other way.

* * *

Kenma awoke to the sound of harsh footsteps coming from directly above Kuroo’s room. He registered the faint voice belonging to one of Kuroo’s sisters, and he looked over to Kuroo, who seemed to be stirring in his sleep slightly. It was then when the smaller boy realized how close he and his friend were, Kenma’s back pressed right against Kuroo’s firm chest, who had his arms wrapped around Kenma’s body, his right arm clasped under Kenma’s arm. He could also feel Kuroo’s light breath hit the back of his nape, unbothered by the puffs of gentle air that  
warmed his neck and made him feel fuzzy within his chest.

As Kuroo remained asleep behind him, Kenma tried to stretch his legs as peacefully as he could, extending them against the cool bedsheets. However, as he moved, he suddenly took notice of the swirling gathering of heat that was coming from his nether region. Kenma’s heartbeat started to rabbit, which he prayed that Kuroo couldn’t feel as his hand was positioned on Kenma’s chest, unfortunately close to his heart. No way this was happening right now. Kenma cursed under his breath as he could physically feel the amount of blood that was rushing to his dick, the fact that Kuroo was _shirtless_ and pressed up against him not helping the situation.

The blond knit his eyebrows together and tried to move forward slightly, knowing that he had to get out of Kuroo’s grip for any advancements to occur. But, as he was slowly wriggling away, Kuroo, in his lack of conscience, dragged Kenma back to his chest, shifting his hips against Kenma’s lower back, which made the blond let out a strangled noise.

Kenma tried to gently lift Kuroo’s heavy arm off of his midsection, but as soon as he lay his hand on him, he heard Kuroo’s deep voice reverberate from the back of neck.

“Where 're you going, Kenma-kun?”

Hearing the rasp of Kuroo’s morning voice sent not only chills up Kenma’s spine, but sinful sensations to the base of his abdomen. Kenma tried to respond to his friend, but his voice came out wrecked and quiet.

“Bathroom.”

Kuroo kept his arm firmly planted around Kenma and laughed softly. “Remember when I tickled you so much that peed yourself at your house?”

Kenma blushed at the reminder of such an embarrassing memory and elbowed Kuroo gently in the stomach. “Shut up,” he growled, “We don’t talk about that.”

“It wasn’t even too long ago. Weren’t you in like, the sixth grade?”

Kenma whined and draped a hand over his face, forgetting about his arousal for a moment. Kuroo simpered evilly and then briskly turned Kenma over on his back, and before the blond could process what was happening, Kuroo placed himself on top of the boy, hovering over him on all fours. For someone who had just woken up, Kuroo was pretty lively.

Kenma knew what was coming and could only let out a meagre “Kuroo, no,” before the older boy ran his fingers over Kenma’s sides. The setter let out a shriek and tried to kick Kuroo off gently, but the waves of laughter that were torn out of him immobilized his ability to use his extremities forcefully.

“I swear, I’ll actually die if you piss yourself on my bed.” Kuroo laughed as he poked at Kenma’s body unrelentlessly.

“That’ll be your fault!” Kenma cried, “Sto— Kuroo!”

Kenma should’ve known it was all over when Kuroo made the fateful decision to slip his hands under the large shirt that adorned Kenma’s body. He lifted the shirt up with the goal to take advantage of Kenma’s sensitivity upon skin-to-skin contact and suddenly, Kuroo’s motions faltered. Kenma winced as he realized what had stopped Kuroo from attacking his midsection mischievously, observing the way the boy above him couldn’t stop staring at a certain place of Kenma’s body, that was now uncovered.

Sure enough, Kenma’s black boxers weren’t thick enough to hide the fact that his dick was almost fully hard as it formed a solid line, tenting the material out slightly. What made it even worse was the way he felt himself _twitch_ when Kuroo lifted up his shirt, the cool air causing goosebumps to form on his lower stomach and thighs. Kenma actually started to shake in embarrassment as Kuroo remained in his position, speechless at the sight that lay in front of him.

“Kuroo,” Kenma forced out, “I swear it’s not what it looks like, I’m so sorry.”

The dark-haired boy didn’t say anything and didn’t meet Kenma’s eye, who started to panic further. “Fuck, this is so weird. I didn’t mean for this to happen, I swear I just woke up and—,”

Kenma’s breath hitched as Kuroo climbed off of him and pulled his smaller body upright. He then smiled kindly, looking into Kenma’s eyes and said, “It’s okay, Kenma-kun. You don’t have to apologize for something that’s completely normal! I promise this doesn’t make things weird, it happens to everyone. I should be the one apologizing for trying to push you too hard.”

The tall boy sat in front of him and averted his gaze, looking down at his comforter. He seemed quite apologetic, and Kenma felt a surge of affection build in his chest. He was unsure on what to say, as the situation was still awkward and slightly uncomfortable. The pair sat there in silence for a few more moments, Kenma drawing his knees up to his chest, wincing slightly as his thighs pressed against his sensitive length.

Kuroo glanced at Kenma’s visage and his extremely flushed cheeks, “You can, y’know,” he motioned towards the door, “Take care of yourself if you need to.”

Kenma blushed even more, his entire face tinted deep red. He wanted to shrivel up and disappear. However, the sense of ignominy taking over his being did not affect his hard-on, which pulsed in his boxers.

“It’s okay, Kenma,” Kuroo said soothingly, placing a hand on Kenma’s back, which was quite the opposite of soothing. “You literally saw my collection of condoms and lube yesterday. I’m in no place to judge you now.”

Kenma laughed softly and nodded, appreciating the considerate and warm words of his best friend.

“I have to go make breakfast anyways,” Kuroo offered, “My parents are gonna kill me if they find out that I left the kitchen to my sisters. So, I’ll go do that and you can do whatever. Just come up whenever you want and I’ll make you something.”

And with that, the tall boy put his tank top back on and moved out of the room with a slight limp that Kenma didn't pick up on. As soon as he shut the door behind him, Kenma let out a low groan, partially in embarrassment and partially in frustration as the throbbing sensation in his groin would not clear. He knew that he would have to relieve himself somehow, as it has been nearly thirty minutes and the situation wasn’t getting any better. He quietly moved to Kuroo’s bathroom, figuring that his friend probably didn’t want Kenma’s cum on his bedsheets.

He stood in front of the mirror once again and could hear the racket upstairs producing itself from Kuroo’s bickering with his siblings. Kenma stared at his reflection, then pulled up his shirt. Surely, his erection was prominent through his boxers, and what sent Kenma’s heart into an overly erratic tempo was the fact that there was a visible wet patch of pre-cum residing near the tip of his dick. He imagined Kuroo seeing this when he had stopped his movements, his hands twitching as he dropped them away from Kenma’s abdomen.

Kenma groaned and pulled down his boxer briefs, feeling too desperate to remove Kuroo’s shirt. He leaned against the wall and inhaled sharply as the cool air wafted over his now-exposed dick, which was sitting up against his groin. Kenma had never been too insecure of his size, dick-wise or height-wise, especially when in comparison to Kuroo because he secretly loved how Kuroo could manhandle him with little to no effort. But at this moment, he couldn’t help but fantasize about Kuroo’s cock specifically. He pictured it hard, thinking of the massive condoms that resided in the cabinet just a couple metres away from where Kenma stood.

He spat on his hand hastily, then lightly ran his fingers up the underside of his stiff dick, whining at the contact. He thought of Kuroo, and how he played volleyball shirtless the day before, his muscles flexing and demonstrating his great strength. Kenma started to pump his dick gently, which was flushed a deep shade of pink, the tip bobbing as he started to increase his pace.

The small boy was about to add more saliva to increase the glide, but then he remembered something. He remembered the presence of the raspberry-scented, and perhaps even _flavoured_ , lube. Kenma felt guilty when thinking about the fact that he would be using Kuroo’s item without permission, but the temptation was too powerful and he found himself opening the cabinet and grabbing the bottle.

The substance inside the bottle was over halfway gone, which meant that Kuroo had been using it, Kenma thought to himself. The idea of Kuroo fucking his hand roughly in his room made Kenma’s knees feel weak, and he blindly opened the cap with a pop and poured a small amount of the gelatinous liquid onto the palm of his hand.

Kenma bit his left hand as the cool slick came in contact with his dick, the artificial smell of sickly sweet raspberries permeating the air. He tried not to make much noise as he stroked his dick, but it was no use even with his flesh acting as a muffler.

He could still hear Kuroo’s voice upstairs, bickering with his siblings and the reverb of his deep timbre only made Kenma more aroused. He quickened his pace, and let his mind wander, thinking about the things that Kuroo does on a daily basis that drive Kenma crazy.

He remembered how Kuroo’s fingers felt running through his hair, and wondered if Kuroo would yank the strands roughly if Kenma were to suck him off. He wondered if Kuroo would transfer his nickname of ‘kitten’ over to intercourse, praising him with dirty mumbles of sex talk. And lastly, what pushed him over the edge, was the thought of Kuroo moaning Kenma’s name while he was getting himself off. Kenma realized that Kuroo himself might jerk off in his bathroom, in the very spot that he stood.

Paired with a hungry moan and the wet sounds of Kenma pumping his dick quickly, he quickly bunched up the bottom of Kuroo’s shirt and held onto it with his teeth, breathing in the scent that the shirt carried. Kuroo’s smell made Kenma feel weak as he increased the pace and intensity of his strokes, biting down into the cotton material harshly.

When Kenma came, he felt tears pooling up in his waterline and he revelled in the sensation of hot spurts of cum painting themselves over his stomach. His chest heaved as he came down from his high, the soft material of Kuroo’s shirt still gripped tightly between his teeth. Kenma moved over to the countertop and grabbed a couple tissues, assessing the damage in the mirror.

The reflection that met his eyes made him feel embarrassed, and glad that no one had seen him like this. His hair, which was still somewhat in the hairstyle that Kuroo had done for him last night was tousled and messy. His eyes were watery and pleading, green irises glowing, and his expression made him look intoxicated. But worst of all, the streaks of cum that decorated his abdomen were ever-so noticeable and went up pretty high. He quickly wiped the tracks away, flushing the kleenexes down the toilet. He released the material of Kuroo’s shirt from his mouth and it fell down, Kenma grimacing at the wet teeth marks that were present on the base of the shirt.

The blond stood there for a few moments, processing what had just happened. He let out tight sigh and tried to compose himself, heartbeat fluctuating every time he thought of Kuroo upstairs. Kenma couldn't help but wonder what Kuroo was thinking as the seconds ticked by. _Does he think I'm weird now? No, Kuroo is too nice. He wouldn't._

The small boy remained immersed in his train of thought as he absent-mindedly walked out of the bathroom and back into Kuroo's bedroom. He rummaged through his backpack and grasped the shorts that he had worn to school yesterday that had been stuffed into the bottom of his bag. He slipped them on hastily, and after debating what he should do in regards to Kuroo's shirt that adorned his upper body, he decided that it would be optimal to inconspicuously slip it in Kuroo's laundry basket and pray that the older boy didn't take note of it.

Kenma pulled his uniform shirt over his head and jogged up the stairs quickly, deciding to grab the bull by the horns. As he reached the top of the staircase, he was greeted with the smell of food and the sight of Kuroo in his sleep attire on the couch, watching something on the small screen of his phone. Kenma felt a surge of guilt, realizing that Kuroo had been waiting for him to quite literally finish. 

"Morning, Kenma-kun!" Kuroo chirped as he saw Kenma emerge from the basement.

Kenma shuffled his feet awkwardly as Kuroo stood up and approached him, acting as if he knew nothing.

"Kuroo," the blond started the apologize, "I'm actually so s—"

He was cut off as Kuroo pulled him into a hug, silencing the younger boy. Kenma knew this was Kuroo's way of telling him that it was okay, and he did feel slightly better upon the reassuring motion of contact.

After a couple moments of warm embrace, Kuroo breathed out, "What do you feel like for breakfast?"

"Mmh," Kenma groaned into his friend's shirt, "Don't care. Leftover pizza, maybe?"

Kuroo gawked at this, pushing Kenma back playfully, "You don't trust my cooking?"

"Well, you can't blame me after the time you burnt an entire bowl of pancake batter."

"Kenma!" Kuroo said indignantly, "I was literally like, twelve."

The smaller boy laughed softly at Kuroo's gamesome vexation, unable to stop himself from fonding over the brightness that was present in the setter's hazel eyes. 

"I'm going to make you something, and it'll be a surprise. And you'll like it!" Kuroo smiled.

The smaller boy obliged and sat down on one of the chairs in Kuroo's dining room, and the raven-haired boy sprang into action, assembling pots, utensils and products from the fridge. 

Kenma trailed his fingers along the surface of the table, playing with the tablecloth gently as his mind tirelessly replayed the past 19-ish hours on a loop. He knew that, by nature, Kuroo was a kind-hearted person. He wouldn't let something awkward like this intrude his thoughts or feeling towards any of his friends, especially not Kenma. By next week, maybe Kuroo will have forgotten about any of this. Maybe he'd just cock his head in confusion if Kenma tried to apologize again when the memory wracks his brain and sends him into a spiral of embarrassment once more. 

As the setter continued to fondle the tablecloth in front of him and ponder the possible outcomes of the situation, he stared up at Kuroo, who was humming softly and preparing some sort of egg dish. While he watched his friend move around the kitchen swiftly, he couldn't bring himself to silence the voice in his head that was secretly hoping that Kuroo _wouldn't_ forget.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> eee thanks for the hits, kudos, and comments on this fic!!! i was rlly surprised to see how many ppl checked it out and it has motivated me to continue writing this :,)! i have the next few chapters planned out and i'm super excited to finish this work. enjoy this chapter and i apologize for any mistakes or typos that i missed! (my computer has a habit of autocorrecting 'kenma' to 'kenya')

“Please, Kenma-kun! I seriously have no one else to help me with this.”

Kenma breathed out softly as he took in Kuroo’s pleas, rolling his eyes sportively as the latter offered to pay him in exchange for help with a tedious project. The raven-haired boy had been involuntarily roped into a Computer Science class due to a mishap with his timetable, and he was surely feeling the worst of it as he had been swamped in assignments that seemed to be written in a foreign language.

“And—, you’re like, really good with that shit,” Kuroo said, “I will literally let you get out of early morning warm up for a week. Please.”

“Kuroo,” the blond boy looked up at his friend, “You know, I would’ve done it for free. However, since you offered to get me out of warm up…”

Kuroo jumped in exuberance and pumped his fists in the air, rambling on about how he may actually pass the difficult course, referring to the smaller boy as his “saviour”.

“You’re the best, Kenma,” he said, “And y’know what, I’ll keep my word in terms of warm up. I’ll talk to Coach Nekomata on Monday!”

Kenma flushed under the compliment then tilted his head, “So, when is the due date exactly?”

“Ah,” Kuroo said, “Before midnight on Tuesday. So, we have today, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.”

Kuroo explained the outline of what he considered an assigned nightmare, it being to create a video game using this specific software that the blocker couldn’t seem to wrap his head around. The setter nodded duly when Kuroo had finished explaining (more so complaining), determining that the four day period would be more than sufficient for him to finish and perfect the task at hand.

“Sounds good, Kuroo,” Kenma chirped, “Are you just going to send it to me over email? Or do you have a hard drive?”

Kuroo halted in his tracks and looked down at his friend with a haze of bemusement painted over his visage, “Kenma-kun. I meant that you could _help_ me with the project. Not do it all yourself! We would definitely get kicked off the team. And, that’d be a dick-move on my part.”

Kenma’s eyes widened in a state of realization and he scolded himself for misinterpreting the captain’s plea for aid, “Oops, my bad, Kuro. I can definitely help you with it—, with understanding the software?”

“Exactly, that’d be great. I wouldn’t push all my shit on you,” Kuroo said, traces of affection present in his voice.

Kenma muttered quietly as the pair continued on their path through their school’s front yard, leading to the side entrance. It had been a couple weeks since the blond had slept over at Kuroo’s house, many awkward events occurring during the fateful hangout on Kenma’s part. The raven-haired boy hadn’t brought up said events since, but he did make a dirty joke regarding the vanilla yoghurt that Kenma had brought for lunch — although that could have easily just been Kuroo’s usual juvenile sense of humour.

“Man, I can’t believe school’s almost over,” Kuroo sighed, looking up at the cloudless blue sky.

“I mean, we still have a couple more months,” Kenma said, “Two more until July.”

“Yeah,” Kuroo laughed, “Hopefully this class doesn’t have me dead by then.”

Kenma looked over at his friend, who’s gaze was still locked on the blue sky above them. The setter had always liked the season of spring, and he knew that it was Kuroo’s favourite time of the year, specifically the month of May. It brought the perfect balance of warmth and subtle breezes, minus the nuisance of insects.

The pair of boys entered the cool building of Nekoma High. When they reached the fork in the hallway that leads each boy to their own class, Kuroo turned and rested his elbow on Kenma’s head, pushing his chest into close proximity, “Are you free on Saturday to do the project?”

Kenma felt his face burning up following the publicity of Kuroo’s physical touch, other students making a detour around their entwined frames and sneaking quick glances of curiosity. The setter adjusted the position of his binder, holding it under his armpit and spoke into the cool material of Kuroo’s cotton button-up that carried the faint smell of his pine-scented cologne, which only spawned images of Kenma getting off in Kuroo’s bathroom, wearing the raven-haired boy’s perfumed shirt.

“Sure, that should work,” Kenma said, “We can talk about it more on our walk home, yeah?”

Kuroo laughed and ruffled Kenma’s hair softly, “Fine, fine, I’ll get out of here. Meet at your class when the bell rings!”

Kenma nodded, a small smile forming upon his lips, “Bye, Kuroo!”

Kuroo winked, turned around and with that, was immediately greeted by Yaku, who had the same last period class as him. Kenma watched as the pair immediately engaged in what appeared to be a riveting conversation, the subject matter unknown as they were too far away for the setter to make out any of their enthusiastic words. Kenma huffed quietly, and turned on his heel, making his way to the Science Lab. He dismissed the inkling of jealously that lingered in his stomach, and tried to focus on the fact that he’d be with Kuroo for most of Saturday. Kuroo and Kenma. Kenma and Kuroo.

* * *

Saturday couldn’t come quick enough for Kenma. He spent his night on Friday playing a recently-dropped video game, only to come to the conclusion that it wasn’t his cup of tea. He was unfocused and seemingly distracted while shooting the small pixelated targets that appeared on his screen, rendering him into a very frustrated state of Kenma. The setter brushed off his negative emotions and blamed it on the questionable soundtrack of the game, but part of it could have easily been the way he couldn’t stop thinking of what it would be like if Kuroo were with him, sleeping over in his bed. 

The following morning, Kenma woke up a couple hours before noon and was pleasantly surprised to see that he had received a couple text notifications from Kuroo. His friend had enthusiastically messaged him a few random emojis, a _‘good morning kitten!!!’_ , and a picture of a basil plant that Kuroo had set out in his back garden. It wasn’t abnormal for the taller boy to send many spontaneous photos over iMessage, always eager to share what he deemed interesting throughout his day.

Kenma was finishing up the process of brushing his teeth when he heard a series of chimes come from his phone. He picked it up, and saw that Kuroo had texted him again, inquiring about their plan.

_‘kenma’_

_‘when are you free’_

_‘wanna come over in thirty minutes?’_

_‘wait I can pick you up, my dad’s not using his car today’_

Kenma cleared his throat as he caught himself giggling softly at the callowness of Kuroo’s string of messages, then replied to the blocker’s texts.

_‘Sure. Just text me when you’re leaving !’_

With that, Kuroo sent back a very happy-looking picture of himself. The blond got back to his morning routine, quickly toasting a pop tart and brushing his hair, which he noted almost touched his shoulders. Kenma hastily created a reminder in his phone to get it trimmed soon, not even wanting to ponder of what his teammates would think if he let it get too long.

He changed his attire, switching out the loose graphic t-shirt and shorts that he slept in for a blue shirt paired with black jeans. As Kenma stood in front of his bathroom mirror, he considered tying back his hair, but hesitated, wondering if Kuroo would question it. In a spur of confidence, Kenma quickly decided to put it into a loose bun, a few strands of hair falling out of the tied section of hair.

Just as he was finishing up his simple hairstyle, his phone pinged and vibrated on the countertop in front of him. The blond picked the device up, and felt his heartbeat increase as he read Kuroo’s new texts.

_‘I’m here!’_

_‘oh shit I forgot to tell you I left’_

_‘no rush kenmaaa I'm sorry’_

Kenma hurriedly stuffed his phone into his pocket, and walked to his front door. He yelled a goodbye to his parents, and stepped outside in just a few seconds. The setter locked his door and walked up to Kuroo, who was waving at him through the window of a red SUV.

“Hey, Kuroo,” Kenma said as he opened the door to the passenger seat.

“Kenma!” Kuroo exclaimed, “I’m sorry for forgetting to text you that I was leaving. I hope I didn’t rush you! I could’ve waited longer.”

“Nah, it’s okay,” Kenma smiled softly, “I didn’t really have much to do this morning so I was ready.”

Kuroo let out a slightly exaggerated sigh of relief, ignited the engine of the vehicle, and pulled out of Kenma’s driveway. While driving, he offered Kenma control of the music, but the blond declined and insisted that Kuroo’s playlist was just fine. But, the latter was concerned that Kenma didn’t like the rap music that was playing, so the pair listened to Kuroo’s father’s CD, which was a compilation of folk music from the 80’s.

Kenma stared out of the window, observing the slight cloudiness of the sky and the presence of fog on the road. The blond figured that it would rain later, but he didn’t mind, as storms and downpours seemed to bring him a specific sense of peace.

It wasn’t too unusual for Kuroo to give the smaller boy rides in his dad’s car, but it only occurred in special situations, as Kuroo loved walking and biking. However, as Kenma shifted his gaze over to the boy holding the steering wheel, he couldn’t help but wonder how he hadn’t ever noticed how hot Kuroo looked while driving.

First of all, the look of concentration on his face was enough to already send Kenma into a silent spiral. His eyebrows were knit together slightly, rendering his facial expression more serious in dark way, which Kenma found extremely attractive, to put it lightly. Additionally, the raven-haired boy had a habit of running his teeth over his bottom lip when he concentrated on certain things, driving being one of these tasks. On top of his facial expression, the nonchalance of Kuroo’s posture made Kenma’s heart flutter, the tall boy resting his large right hand on the bottom of the wheel, with the other on his lap. Kenma wondered if Kuroo would put his free hand on the blond's thigh while driving if he asked him to. But, what really got Kenma was the way his friend’s thigh muscles visibly contracted as he stepped on the gas and brake pedals. Kuroo was wearing a pair of tight black jeans, similar to the ones that Kenma was wearing, but the way the material hugged the curves of his quads really made the blond question his sanity.

Lost in thought, Kenma hadn’t even noticed that they were pulling into Kuroo’s garage. The blocker turned off the audio system abruptly and announced, “We’re here, _Kyanma_!”

Kenma scoffed at the nickname and got out of the car, stretching his back and let out a yawn.

“Hey, how much sleep did you get last night?” Kuroo asked.

“Hmmph—,” Kenma yawned again, “Probably like, six hours.”

Kuroo raised an eyebrow skeptically and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Fine,” Kenma grunted, “More like four. Or three? Whatever.”

“Kenma!” Kuroo exclaimed, “Sleep is important! If we had more sleepovers this wouldn’t be a problem.”

Kenma snorted and stepped into Kuroo’s house, following the raven-haired boy who held the door open for him. They walked down the stairs, the setter blocking out memories of the last time he had been here. The pair enter Kuroo’s bedroom, which appeared to be a little messier than before, as there were a couple discarded hoodies and shirts on his bed.

“Ah, sorry,” Kuroo flushed, “I was cleaning out my dresser this morning but I forgot to put everything away.”

Kenma laughed, “It’s okay, Kuroo. You know how messy my room can get.”

Kuroo laughed along softly, then moved to his bed. “Oh wait! I actually found these sweaters—,” the raven-haired boy picked up two garments that lay on his bed, “And I thought you could have them, if you wanted. They’re kind of small on me. And I’d just be giving them away anyways, so if think you’d like to take them, they’re all yours!”

Kenma looked at the sweaters in Kuroo’s hands and recognized them immediately. One of them was a red Nekoma High sweater with white letters spelling out “Kuroo” on the back of it, that the blond was almost certain fit the blocker really well, as he had seen him in the hoodie several times at school. The other article of clothing was also recognizable, as it was the black hoodie with a small design on the front that Kenma had always liked. He deflated slightly at the thought of Kuroo not wearing the second sweater anymore, but he quickly felt a rising sense of excitement, realizing just what Kuroo had offered him.

“Ah thank you, _Kuro_.” Kenma used the nickname sweetly and took the garments out of his friends hands. “I really like them.”

“No problem, Kenma!” Kuroo chirped, “I saw them in my closet and thought they’d look good on you. You could probably fit them over your clothes right now!”

Kenma blushed, and felt the urge to slip one of the sweaters on immediately. “I’d be too hot,” he muttered quietly.

“Take your shirt off and you’d be even hotter,” Kuroo joked, winking playfully.

“Kuro!” Kenma exclaimed, playing with the material of his pants.

“All jokes, all jokes,” Kuroo laughed, “But actually, you should try one of ‘em on. I’ll look away!”

Kenma nodded stiffly, and started to undress his upper body when Kuroo made a show of turning around and picking at his fingernails, a bad habit that the boy had always carried. The blond pulled on the red hoodie slowly, inhaling sharply as Kuroo’s scent was overpowering on the inside of the garment.

“You can turn around, Kuroo,” Kenma said, adjusting the hem of the sweater.

“Kenma,” Kuroo drawled when he turned around, “You look so fucking cute. I actually love seeing you in my clothes. You should wear it over your uniform on Monday.”

“Thanks,” Kenma murmured, “But, people would think it’s weird? Your name is printed on the back of this one.”

Kuroo stirred subtly, fighting the urge to say, _“that’s the point”_. Instead, he just shrugged and insisted that it looked too good for Kenma not to wear it out. The younger boy, of course, blushed at this, then changed the subject promptly, suggesting that they get started on Kuroo’s assignment.

* * *

After four hours of explaining, laughing, and complaining (on both parts), Kuroo sprung up from his spot beside Kenma, nearly knocking his laptop out of the blond’s hands. “I think we should take a break! We’re almost done.”

“I won’t argue with that,” Kenma said, “I’m pretty surprised how far we got in just a few hours.”

“Yeah, well, it’s all thanks to that brain of yours. I wish you were in this class with me. You would definitely make everyone jealous.” Kuroo smirked, “Or maybe, I would. ‘Cause I’m the one who gets to spend all my time with you.”

 _It’s the other way around_ , Kenma thought, but remained silent and only shook his head timidly.

The pair of boys ended up agreeing that a food-break was necessary, and decided to find snacks in Kuroo’s pantry. Kenma hadn’t realized how hungry he was until they stepped foot upstairs, his stomach growling. He noticed that it was past 5:00pm, and asked, “Is your family home?”

“I’m pretty sure my sisters said something about going out to a friend’s house tonight, but my parents are gonna be home later,” Kuroo said as he looked through the shelves of food.

Suddenly, the raven-haired boy popped up with a bag of crackers in hand, “Let’s eat these! They're so good.”

Kenma nodded his head, and they descended the stairs once more, running into Kuroo’s room. They spent the following span of time enjoying each other’s company and listening to music, Kuroo putting on a pre-made mix so that he wouldn’t be scowled at for his taste in music that Kenma referred to as “interesting”.

Kenma played a game on his phone, and Kuroo had insisted that the younger boy sit in between his legs so that he could watch the action on the small screen. Kenma gave in pretty quickly, and revelled in the sensation of Kuroo’s warmth pressed up against his back and the vibrations that the blond felt run through his neck as Kuroo voiced minute observations regarding the game.

After roughly 30 minutes and many matches won, Kenma turned his phone off and leaned back against Kuroo, which made the older boy smile upon the blond’s level of comfort.

“Kuroo,” Kenma said, “I like hanging out with you.”

“I like hanging out with you, too,” Kuroo leaned forward into the smaller boy, “I mean, of course I do. You’re my favourite person.”

Kenma’s heartbeat increased rapidly, and he wondered if he would ever hear these words come from Kuroo’s lips in a romantic context.

“By the way,” Kuroo said, “I like the way your did your hair today. The bun looks nice.”

Kenma’s cheeks reddened, as he had forgotten about the change in hairstyle, “Thanks, Kuroo. My hair’s getting a little long—, but don’t worry, I’m gonna get a haircut appointment soon enough.”

“Huh?” Kuroo said, putting his hand on Kenma’s shoulderblade, “I think it looks great. Why would I be worried?”

“I don’t know,” Kenma flushed, “Wouldn’t it look bad?”

“What the hell, no,” Kuroo exclaimed, “I love your longer hair. I think it’d look even prettier longer. You could pull any hairstyle off, Kenma.”

 _Pretty_. Kuroo had just called his hair pretty.

"ThankS, Kuroo,” Kenma said quietly, “But… Doesn’t it make me look too girly?”

“No,” Kuroo said immediately, “And even if did—, if you wanted to appear more feminine, that doesn’t matter at all. I’ll say this hundred times more, but you look good, Kenma.”

Kenma was unsure how to respond, then suddenly he felt his friend’s body stiffen.

“Don’t tell me someone told you that?” Kuroo bristled, “Did someone at school say anything about your hair being too long?”

“N-no,” Kenma replied, “But, sometimes I feel like I get stares. From people in the halls. I don’t really wear unique clothes, so it has to be because of my long hair, which not many other guys at our school have.”

“Kenma,” Kuroo said slowly, “I am 100% certain that none of those people judge your hair when they look at you. I can promise you that.”

“Why else would they be looking, then?”

Kuroo inhaled softly, and couldn’t help but tighten his grip subtly on Kenma’s upper back, “Maybe, they’re interested in you.”

“Huh?” Kenma exclaimed, eyes widening, “No way! That’s definitely not it.”

“You’d be surprised, Kenma,” Kuroo said lowly, “A few people have asked me if you were single.”

Kenma let out a strangled noise of shock, and turned around swiftly to face his friend, looking him in the eyes. “Seriously? You’re kidding.”

“I’m not! It’s not hard to believe either.”

“Wait—, well, what did you tell them?” Kenma asked.

“Why do you wanna know?” Kuroo purred, “Does Kenma-kun have a crush on someone?”

“What?!” The blond jumped, “No! Well—, I don’t know. No. I—,”

Kenma buried his face in his hands and steadied his voice, willing himself to calm down before he said something that he would regret.

“Holy shit,” Kuroo gasped, “You definitely like someone. Why haven’t we talked about this before!”

“Hmph,” Kenma muttered into his palm, “I’m not gonna say who. It’s not even a big deal.”

“Kenma-kun!” Kuroo said, “It is a big deal! I won’t judge you. Or tell anyone, obviously. Please!”

In a state of panic, Kenma frantically tried to change the conversation topic, “Well, who do you like, _Kuro_?”

At this, Kuroo’s chuckling faltered and the blond felt his abdomen tighten up against his spine once again.

“Why don’t you guess, Kenma-kun?” Kuroo said, a layer of confidence sweeping over his deep timbre.

Without much thought, Kenma blurted out, “Yaku.”

“Huh?!” Kuroo tilted his head, “Why would it be Yaku? We barely talk.”

Kenma’s eyes widened as he quickly tried to backtrack, realizing that he had technically just assumed his friend’s sexual orientation, never having received confirmation that he liked guys.

Throughout primary school, Kuroo had a flock of girls constantly surrounding him, competing for his attention. In the seventh grade, the raven-haired boy decided to accept one of the many invitations he had received to their school’s annual dance, the girl in question being envied by everyone, including Kenma. The pair became a couple shortly after, and the younger boy had been there when Kuroo received his first kiss on their primary school’s playground. Kenma vividly remembers feeling sick to his stomach, then running away to the boy’s bathroom. He hid in the stall until class was dismissed, and slipped into his mother’s car without saying goodbye to Kuroo.

The next morning, Kenma didn’t speak to his friend, afraid that the sad expression in his eyes would betray how he felt towards Kuroo’s relationship. But, at the end of the day, Kuroo approached him before he could finish packing away his bag, and announced that he had broken up with the girl. Kenma expressed his confusion, and the older boy explained that he simply did not want a relationship with her. Kenma accepted this, and apologized sheepishly for avoiding his friend, but what he never knew was the fact that Kuroo had run after him, breaking away from the girl’s embrace after their kiss. Kenma never knew that Kuroo wished his first kiss had been with someone else.

Aside from this, the taller boy had never stated whether he had a romantic preference in terms of gender. Howvever, Kenma was fairly certain that Kuroo knew that _he_ was gay; every once in a while, a girl would express interest in the smaller boy, and his response would always be a soft, “I really am flattered, but I like someone else” — this could either be interpreted as Kenma lying to avoid awkwardness as much as possible, or it could be received as a hint towards his sexuality; common denominators being 1. Rejection and 2. Girls.

“Shit, I didn’t mean to imply, that you’re like,” Kenma stuttered, “Into guys? Not that I care if you are. Obviously. I just—,”

“No, no,” Kuroo said, “That doesn’t matter. It’s just… Yaku?! I mean, no offence to him, but he’s not really my type.”

Kenma deflated slightly at these words, countless possibilities of what Kuroo could possibly be implying with his chosen words coursing through the setter's mind. When he said it doesn’t matter, did he mean gender-wise? He said Yaku wasn’t his type. Is that because he’s short, just like Kenma?

“Ah,” Kenma said quietly, “I see.”

Kuroo hummed, his eyes narrowing slyly, “Hey now, I’m not gonna forget that kitten here has a crush! I want to know who it is.”

“Kuroo, no,” Kenma pleaded, “It really shouldn’t be that big of a thing. I don’t even like them that much.”

Lies.

With that, Kuroo huffed and dropped his chin on Kenma’s shoulder, mock-whining. The taller boy eventually accepted defeat, only with the conditions that Kenma would have to tell him some time in the near future. The blond let out a small huff of relief and lay back against Kuroo once again, relaxing as he registered the fact that Kuroo did have a crush. A monstrous ball of envious emotions started to develop in Kenma’s chest, and the younger boy could feel his mood starting to drop rapidly as his thoughts of _what-if_ consumed him.

“Kuroo,” Kenma uttered before he could stop himself, “How many people have you kissed?”

“Hm?” Kuroo popped up in surprise, “Let’s see… I don’t know what to count as real kisses. You remember my first kiss, right? With, uh—, what was her name. Haruna-san?”

Kenma nodded duly, “Yeah, Haruna Aimi.”

“Yes, her. On top of that, I guess I’ve kissed a few other people, but most of it was jokes and dares at camp, and whatnot.”

“Have you,” Kenma blushed, in a state of blind ambition, “Have you ever done it with tongue?”

The smaller boy cringed slightly, chiding himself internally for his blatantly inexperienced tone.

“Kenma!” Kuroo laughed, “Why are you asking? Planning on doing that with somebody?”

“No!” Kenma exclaimed, then faltered a bit, “I don't know, maybe."

“It’s okay, Kenma-kun,” Kuroo said softly, “Do you know how?”

“Obviously not, Kuroo,” Kenma said, looking down, his gaze firmly locked onto Kuroo’s knee.

“Well, if you’re planning on making out with someone, you should know how.”

Kenma stirred at this, “Yeah, I guess there are probably videos on the internet? Tutorials.” The blond felt his neck warming up with blood.

“Or,” Kuroo smiled slyly, “I could show you.”

“What?” Kenma’s eyes widened and he almost whipped around to glare at his friend in disbelief.

“No, seriously,” Kuroo continued, “I’ve kissed a few guys before. It’s not weird, and besides, we’re best friends. You’ve seen me naked like, a million times. So, if you want to learn how to kiss someone properly, I can help you!”

Kenma, still in a state of shock, was unsure how to respond. Of course he wanted to kiss Kuroo, but the raven-haired boy was dismissing this as something casual, something that didn’t mean anything.

Kenma muttered something under his breath, too quiet for Kuroo to deciper.

“What was that, Kenma-kun?”

“I don’t—,” Kenma struggled to get the sentence out, “I haven’t even—,”

“Hey,” Kuroo said soothingly, “It’s okay. We don’t have to at all, please don’t feel pressured to agree, or anything. I would only want to do it if you wanted me to teach you, Kenma. I—,”

The raven-haired boy’s train of soft words were cut off as the smaller boy suddenly rushed out, “I haven’t had my first kiss yet.”

“Oh,” Kuroo said, slightly a taken back, “Kenma, were you concerned that I’d make fun of you, or something?”

“No, Kuroo,” Kenma said, “I know you wouldn’t make fun of me, but it’s just—, if you kiss me, you’ll be my first kiss. And I don’t want you to think that’s weird, or anything.

“I wouldn’t think that’s weird, or bad in any way unless you wanted your first kiss to be with a specific person.”

 _Yeah,_ Kenma thought, _you’re the specific person._

“So, it’s completely up to you.”

Kenma nodded slightly, calculating his options. He could say no, and go back to silently admiring Kuroo’s lips, imagining what it would be like to share a kiss with him. Or, he could go for it, and possibly suffer withdrawals as said kiss would most likely be a one time thing.

The pair sat in silence for a few moments, Kuroo’s muscular frame still adorning Kenma’s back, his hands planted firmly behind him, supporting the weight of the two boys. In a trice, the smaller boy turned around to face his friend, climbing over his lap until their gazes crossed paths. Golden and hazel.

And in that instance, Kenma came to the conclusion that the opportunity at hand was simply too valuable, too priceless, to give up and surrender. He hovered there on his knees, looking into Kuroo’s eyes, then his stare swept down to the raven-haired boys lips, which were parted slightly, the corners curved up into a slight smile.

“Yeah?” Kuroo said softly, moving his large hand to Kenma’s knee, “Is this okay?”

Kenma nodded, and breathed out, “Yeah. Kuroo, I think I want you to show me. How it feels.”

A blinding smile overtook Kuroo’s visage and he cheered, “Yay, Kenma! This is exciting. Okay, wait—,”

The blond blushed at his friend’s enthusiasm and continued to pick at the comforter in front of him.

“I know this is just supposed to be a little learning-teaching moment,” Kuroo said, “But, it _is_ your first kiss. So, let’s at least make this environment a little more romantic.”

With that, the blocker moved off of his bed, nearly knocking Kenma onto his side with the abrupt movement. He then started to pick up the shirts and socks that were present on his floor surrounding his mattress and shoved the articles of clothing quickly into the bottom drawer of his black dresser.

Kuroo straightened out his bedsheets, then plopped himself down onto his bed, right next to the smaller boy who was still perched on his knees, watching his friend clean up his room just for the event of Kenma’s first kiss. Which happened to be with said friend. In his room.

“How are we gonna do this?” Kenma murmured softly, refusing to look up.

“However you want to do it, Kenma,” Kuroo purred, and Kenma shrugged sheepishly. Kuroo tilted his head and breathed out softly, “C’mere.”

The raven-haired boy moved closer to Kenma and placed his arm around the smaller boy’s frame, resting his large palm on the blond’s shoulder blade, “Just like this.”

Kenma barely processed what was happening as Kuroo brought his other hand up to Kenma’s face, caressing his jaw and prompting his head up slightly so that their noses were nearly touching. Kenma could feel Kuroo’s warm breath ghost against his lips, which smelt of spearmint flavoured gum. Kuroo took note of how Kenma’s cheeks lit up with a rosy hue and the way in which his golden irises seemed to flash with anticipation.

He leaned closer, moving his hand from Kenma’s back to the base of his neck, and pulled the boy closer. The blond felt as though his heart was about to beat out of his chest, and the words _‘What is happening?’_ would not stop running through his mind.

All at once, Kuroo traced his thumb over Kenma’s neck gingerly, then closed the distance between the pair. Kenma felt his eyes close upon the sensation of kissing Kuroo. His lips tasted sweet, due to the gum he had been chewing earlier, and they felt soft. Kenma was warm, not only where their mouths connected, but all over. The sensation of heat zig-zagged around his body, making him want to shiver in gratification.

Then, as quickly as it had happened, Kuroo pulled back, one hand remaining on Kenma’s jawline, “Well.”

Kenma opened his eyes slowly and was greeted with his friend’s shit-eating grin, “Your first kiss,” Kuroo said, “How was it?”

“Good.” Kenma breathed out, “It was good.”

“Yeah?” Kuroo smirked, “You’re not half-bad at it either. Oh—, well, I guess we didn’t kiss with tongue. Wasn’t that the entire point? To teach you how to make out with someone properly?”

“I guess,” Kenma mumbled, all while wanting to lean back in for one more kiss, or maybe three or four more.

“D’you wanna try that now, Kenma-kun?” Kuroo asked softly, “It’s fun.”

Kenma nodded, and smiled softly.

“Alright,” Kuroo said, looking at Kenma through slightly clouded eyes, “We have to be a bit closer then. It’s important that you’re comfortable, because this can go on for a while.”

Kenma shuddered at the thought of making out with Kuroo for hours, perhaps leading into further series of action. However, he was pulled out of his small fantasy as Kuroo moved his hands down to Kenma’s waist and pulled him forward. Kuroo adjusted position quickly, leaning his back against the wall, and placed Kenma onto his lap, which was their usual position for casual cuddling, but this time Kenma’s legs were wrapped around Kuroo’s lower abdomen.

 _So close_ , Kenma thought to himself as he took note of how dangerously near Kuroo’s crotch was to his own. He made a silent prayer not to spout a boner, but he knew that it was inevitable, considering their lack of personal space and the actions that were about to ensue.

“Okay, so,” Kuroo started, “It’s kind of hard to explain how to do this, exactly. It’s more of a trial and error type of thing. You don’t have to start out with full force, it’s usually best to kind of test the waters by just—, here, I’m just going to show you.”

Kenma nodded his head, his hands awkwardly by his side, his slight frame rigid as Kuroo leaned in once again, ghosting his lips over Kenma’s. He placed a kiss on the side of his mouth, then moved towards the middle of the blond’s lips. Kenma almost jumped when he felt Kuroo’s mouth connect with his, in a more feverish manner this time. The setter kissed back slowly, revelling in the sensation and closing his eyes shut.

Suddenly, Kenma felt the wetness of Kuroo’s tongue slip across his lips, requesting entry, and prompting Kenma to let out a soft moan that was quiet enough to be masked by the sound of the two boys kissing, but Kenma couldn’t ignore the low vibration that produced from Kuroo’s throat immediately after he had let the noise slip. Kenma parted his lips, allowing Kuroo’s tongue to come into contact with his own, their teeth clashing slightly upon the change of pace.

Kuroo moved his tongue expertly against Kenma’s, and brought his hand back up to the blond’s nape, this time carding his fingers through his hair and unravelling the bun that the smaller boy had done hours in advance. The smaller boy was hesitant, but he started to move his tongue along with Kuroo’s, and admired the feeling he received from the motion. He slowly started to gain confidence, and Kuroo’s hand twitched in surprise when Kenma placed both of his hands on the raven-haired boy’s shoulders.

They continued kissing for a few more minutes, both boys breathing in each other’s scents and enjoying the lingering heat pressed up against their fronts. Kenma nearly melted when Kuroo wrapped his fingers around the strands of hair that he had been gently holding up until that point, and pulled the blond’s head back slightly, moving his body closer and deepening the kiss. Then, Kuroo started to pull away, causing Kenma to let out a small whine which he immediately tried to stifle.

The pair sat in each other’s embrace for a few moments, Kenma panting, cheeks flushed deep red. Kuroo removed his hand from Kenma’s hair, trailing it down the smaller boy’s back, which sent shivers coursing down his spine.

“You’re a good kisser, Kenma-kun,” Kuroo broke the silence, “I have a hard time believing that was your first kiss.”

Despite Kuroo’s playful tone, Kenma rushed to self-defence, “What? No. You were my first kiss, Kuroo.”

“I know, I know,” Kuroo smirked, “Just teasing you. How do you feel, though? A changed man?”

“Erm,” Kenma murmured, “I don’t know. It was good. It felt nice.”

“I’m glad,” Kuroo said, “Honestly, it makes me feel good. The fact that I was your first kiss. Because now I know you didn’t kiss some asshole who’s ass I’d have to kick if he pulled any weird shit on you.”

Kenma sat in silence for a while, still somewhat processing the fact that he had just kissed Kuroo. _Tetsurou Kuroo_ , his best friend and love-interest for a decade and counting. The blond remained in his position between the legs of the raven-haired boy, and leaned forward more, resting his chin on Kuroo’s shoulder.

“I’m glad too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope y'all enjoyed that :D awkward first kiss moment woooooo now things r only gonna go up from here >:)


	3. Chapter 3

As soon as Kenma entered his dark, unlit room, he collapsed offhandedly onto his bed, his extremities limp with a gelatinous sensation. His brain felt fuzzy as he listened to the low song of the cicadas that resided in the grassy lawn next to his open window, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

Kuroo had given Kenma a ride back to his house, the pair chatting normally in the car as if they hadn’t made out just a few minutes in advance. The latter of the two wasn’t sure if he was overreacting when he felt the urge to ask Kuroo why they had just done that. He wished he could brush it off as a true “learning-teaching moment”, as Kuroo had called it, but the lingering heat on Kenma’s lips wouldn’t stop reminding his brain of how good the kiss had felt.

He craned his neck, looking at the alarm clock that was set on the surface of his nightstand, which was cluttered with an assortment of tissues, coins, and Joy-Con straps. The setter squinted his eyes and made out the blurry numbers to be “11:12” then groaned quietly as he was aware that it would take hours for him to fall asleep due to his nocturnal-centric sleep schedule. Great, more time to magnify and analyze every detail pertaining to his time spent with Kuroo.

In a desperate attempt to shift the strong focus in his mind, Kenma pulled out his Xbox, slipping in an old disc that he hadn’t played for a handful of months, hoping that it would keep him distracted for an hour or so. The blond ended up playing enthusiastically, cursing under his breath every time he died, finding himself feeling surprised at the level of difficulty the abandoned game posed. Before he knew it, the grainy displayof time had shifted to 2:46am, and Kenma decided that it was time to give his eyes a break, as running on a couple hours of sleep over the span of two days proved to be strenuous on the setter.

Kenma fell back onto his bed and wriggled under the covers, pulling them half-way up his chest lazily. He closed his golden eyes and let himself drift off peacefully, his soft breathing evening out at he allowed himself to indulge the peppy voice at the back of his mind that babbled non-stop about the raven-haired boy who made his heart flutter. He figured that, when in his state of semi-lucidity, it was acceptable to think about his friend.

Kenma thought of Kuroo’s deep voice, and the way it held a gritty rasp to it plus a tone that hinted at slight arrogance, which the blond quite honestly found terribly attractive. He also pictured the blocker’s large hands, his palms almost big enough to engulf both of Kenma’s hands, who shivered at the size difference that both boys were somewhat obsessed with. The blond tried not to let his mind slip down into the nether pits of mature subject matter, but he gave in at the memory of Kuroo’s hands on the smaller boy’s waist, manhandling him as they were getting ready to make out.

He knew what it felt like to have Kuroo touch him casually, but Kenma wanted more. He wanted to feel Kuroo’s fingers roam over his bare skin, wanted to know what it would be like to have the raven-haired boy press kisses into the parts of his body that were usually covered up by clothes. Suddenly, the setter realized that Kuroo’s red sweater still hung off of lithe frame, the sleeves covering his hands completely and forming sweater paws. He pulled the hood up around his head and breathed in, enjoying the distinct scent that he had grown to love so much.

Kenma shouldn’t have felt so surprised at the pang of arousal that shot through his groin due to the strong combination of his scandalous thoughts and the delicious smell that clung to the fabric of the large hoodie. He ran his fingers over his crotch and moaned quietly as he traced his hand over the tent in his underwear formed by his half-hard arousal. He slowly palmed over his dick, burying his nose into the soft material of the garment he wore, mouthing at it to suppress his moans.

Despite his physical excitement, Kenma couldn’t shake the overwhelming tiredness that consumed his body, but it was too late to leave himself with a bad case of blue balls. He moved languidly, shifting around so that his front side was flush against his mattress, and let out another soft moan at the soft contact on his sensitive length.

At a leisurely pace, he started to grind against his bed, his right arm splayed across his pillow as half of his face was smushed into the cool material. It took him most of his remaining strength to move his free hand under the hoodie and onto his nipple, which he toyed with, flicking it and pulling on it gently. A series of whines slipped from his throat as the blond continued to rut against his mattress pressingly, hastening as his thoughts trailed back to the images of Kuroo handling his body.

He pretended that it was Kuroo’s much larger fingers teasing his nipple and palming his dick. Kenma figured that Kuroo would be a bit rougher with him, perhaps even teasing the smaller boy with his sharp canines, grazing them over Kenma’s chest, neck, and thighs. Kenma simpered pathetically at the thought and clenched his teeth harshly as he felt the tight knot in his lower area start to tighten as he rapidly approached climax.A picture of Kuroo sucking on his nipples until they were red, swollen and raw started to form piece by piece in Kenma's brain, and he exhaled sharply at the thought. But, what really pushed him over the edge were the memories of Kuroo's voice; deep and raspy, pitch so low that Kenma could feel it vibrating keenly against his core whenever Kuroo spoke while holding the smaller boy in his arms. He imagined Kuroo's voice, but this time, painted with lust, and being projected in the form of a whisper right up against Kenma's neck, against the shell of Kenma's ear.

The blond bit down on his pillow roughly and his fingers curled as he came, warm liquid spilling into his boxers, making him shudder at the messy sensation. After release, he lay there for a minute or two, trailing his fingers down his abdomen and playing with the stretchy band of his underwear. Kenma strongly considered allowing himself to fall asleep right then and there, and disregard the presence of cum that would soon dry uncomfortably. But, he figured that it would not be worth it and got up, changing out of the spoiled pair of boxers quickly while goosebumps formed on his skin upon contact with the cool air.

When Kenma lay down on his bed again, he flipped over onto his side and curled his knees close to his chest, prompting himself to fall asleep minus any distractions this time around. The setter felt sated and in a state of peace, although he knew good and well that it would not remain permanently, as there was no doubt that he would be hit with a strong sense of cringe-inducing post-orgasm clarity during the following days.However, he felt much too content to worry, and his mind helplessly slipped into the dreamy realm of sleep. His last thought within consciousness was that he would wear the other sweater Kuroo had given him to school on Monday, as he may never be able to look at the red sweater in the same way ever again.

* * *

“Kozume!”

The small blond felt his heart rate increase nervously as he pretended not to hear the chippy voice call his name from across the science lab.

“Yo!” The voice called again, getting louder, “Kenma.”

Kenma looked up slowly, dreading yet another awkward interaction with Ito Kenji, a fellow student at Nekoma High who happened to be in Kenma’s Biology class, “Hi.”

“What’s up?” Kenji hummed.

“Not much,” Kenma murmured, averting his gaze from the boy that now stood in front of his desk, peering down at the blond,

Ito Kenji was a seventeen year-old who was on the basketball team, and was disliked by most people, as not many cared for his temperamental personality. He carried a fort aura of confidence, but not in the same manner that Kuroo held himself proudly, almost appearing regal — Kenji emanated the essence of a sneaky, egotistical being who believes that his place in the social hierarchy present at Nekoma High was top of the tops. Crème de la crème.

“Hey,” the brunet said, “You should accept my friend request on FaceBook. I sent it a couple days ago.”

“I don’t really use FaceBook,” Kenma said quietly.

“How’re we gonna talk then?” Kenji said.

Kenma was unsure on how to answer, and reverted to staring at his desk with a sense of uncomfortableness painted on his insides. He prayed that the remaining four minutes of class would pass quicker, feeling stuck like a fly in a spiderweb.

“I like your sweater, the design’s cool,” the standing boy broke the silence coolly, “Where’s it from?”

“Oh, thank you,” Kenma said, “I’m actually not sure. I got it from someone else.”

“Is that why it’s so big on you?” Kenji snorted, “Who gave it to you?”

“Kuroo,” Kenma replied, “Tetsurou Kuroo.”

Kenji clicked his tongue and dipped his head, eyes trailing over the cuffed sleeves that wrapped around Kenma’s wrists.

“So, Kenma,” Kenji said abruptly, “Are you free tonight?”

Kenma’s eyes widened immediately and he felt blood rush to his face in large surges. “Tonight is a school night, so I don’t think I’ll be available.”

“That’s a bummer,” Kenji said, “Come over on Friday, then. We could have fun.”

“Ah—,” a wave of understanding washed over Kenma gradually as he took in the wink that was paired with the dirty tone of the larger boy’s voice. “I don’t know if—, I don’t think I can.”

“You don't think you can?” Kenji’s eyes narrowed, “Why’s that? I don’t bite.”

“I just can’t.” Kenma murmered, his breaths becoming shallower.

“Hm?” Kenji mused, “You got a crush on someone else?”

 _Two more minutes left of this class_ , Kenma thought to himself. _Just two more_.

The blond wanted to shrink under Kenji’s intense gaze, the taller boy being quite intimidating as he towered over his desk. Kenma almost felt as though he had no choice but to say yes, and telling Kenji that he did, in fact, have a crush on someone else, could easily make matters worse for the setter.

“C’mon, Kozume,” Kenji smirked, “I think we’d get along together really well. Just accept my request and I’ll—,”

“I have a boyfriend.”

The five words that came out of Kenma’s mouth surprised him just as much as they stunned Kenji. The two boys stared at eachother, both pairs of eyes round in a state of shock.

“A boyfriend?” Kenji said, “And who is that?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Kenma rushed out, “But I’m not interested, I’m sorry. I do have a boyfriend.”

Just as the brown-haired boy knit his eyebrows together in disbelief and started to speak again, the school bell interrupted him with its shrill tone. Kenma quickly gathered his belongings, slung his backpack over his shoulder and was the first person to walk out of the classroom’s exit, halting in his tracks as he was immediately greeted by Kuroo.

He pulled the taller boy’s sleeve, dragging him down the hallway as the blocker complimented Kenma’s choice in apparel. When the pair made it to the school front yard, the blond finally halted, panting as he rested his hand against Kuroo’s forearm, who stared at him with much confusion.

“What’s going on, Kenma?”

“Do you,” Kenma breathed heavily, “Do you know Kenji? Ito Kenji? He’s in my grade, in my Bio class.”

“Oh, yeah,” Kuroo said, “He’s on the basketball team, yeah? I’ve heard he’s kind of a dick though, but I’ve never spoken to him personally.”

“I think he was hitting on me,” Kenma said quietly, “He told me to accept his FaceBook request and I declined but he asked me to come hang out with him and he said it’d be fun. And he also seemed a little put off when I told him that this sweater is yours.”

Kuroo’s smile hardened and he bristled, yet the blocker tried to regain composure to sate Kenma’s erratic breathing and apparent anxiety, “Are you interested in him?”

“No!” Kenma exclaimed, “I told him I wasn’t interested, so he started asking me these questions. I didn’t know what to do so I—, I told him that I’m dating someone. I said I have a boyfriend.”

“Man, he must’ve been really pressing you, Kenma-kun,” Kuroo said with a soft voice, “I’m sorry. Tomorrow, I'll say something to him.”

“No, Kuroo, it’s okay,” Kenma insisted, hand still resting on the taller boy’s arm, “I’m more so just worried about my lie — if he finds out that I’m not actually in a relationship, he'll talk to me even more. And I don’t think you scaring him away will do anything except for get you in trouble with the dean and Coach Nekomata.”

Kuroo stood in silence, eyes fixed on Kenma, yet a little spaced out as he seemed to be deep in thought while the bustling noises of the school’s environment surrounded the pair.

“How’s he going to find out you don’t have a boyfriend?” Kuroo finally said, “You could easily fake some proof if he keeps badgering you.”

“You’re right,” Kenma sighed, “And I guess I don’t actually know if he’ll refuse to let it go, but I think he was skeptical when I told him that I was in a relationship with someone, especially when I refused to tell him who that person is.”

“Shit,” Kuroo growled, “What an asshole, I don’t understand why he kept pestering you. I mean, who does he think he is?”

“Kuroo,” Kenma said, “It’s alright. I got myself into this.”

“No, it’s not your fault that some people can’t seem to take no for an answer.”

“I guess,” the blond mumbled, “I probably just should have not said anything. This could be really bad if I get caught in a lie. Fuck, what if he starts telling people that I’m—,”

“Say it’s me.”

Kenma’s eyes grew in size vastly as he took in what the raven-haired boy had just said, “What?”

“I’ll be your boyfriend,” Kuroo smiled, “Your _‘boyfriend’_ , y’know?”

“Huh?” Kenma squeaked, “But—,”

“Nope. It’s happening,” Kuroo said, “It would be so believable. You said he took note of the sweater you’re wearing today? I mean, that’s kind of perfect, since he knows it’s mine.”

Kenma desperately tried to string together sentences to respond to his friend’s proposal, but no words would exit his mouth. He listened to his best friend ramble on enthusiastically about the upsides of his plan, which seemed utterly insane to the smaller boy. 

“I’d also love to piss a guy like him off,” Kuroo said, “I heard from Lev that he wouldn’t stop harassing this first year girl—, How fucking rank is that? I mean—,”

“You’re straight,” Kenma breathed out finally, his chosen words not being close to the million other things he wanted to say.

Kuroo barked out a laugh, “What?”

“You’re straight, right?” Kenma said, “So—, I don’t know, he would know it’s not true. That you and I are dating. Because we—, we’re both guys—,”

“Kenma,” Kuroo said slowly, “I don’t know what _should’ve_ made it more obvious; the fact that I’ve kissed more guys than girls, or the way we both saw those _Hot Guy XXX_ magazines on my dresser in first year.”

The blond stood rigidly, and let out a small “Oh.”

“I mean, I guess I’m not technically out to our entire school,” Kuroo said, “But I don’t really care that much. The people who matter to me know, and by that I mean the team, and well, now _you_ know for sure. I’m not straight, Kenma.”

Kenma, once again, was unsure what to say, and quite frankly, was flabbergasted at Kuroo’s disclosure. After several moments of staring at his friend with a dumbfounded expression plastered over his face, he realized that Kuroo might think that he was judging him. 

“Oh!” Kenma exclaimed, overcompensating heavily with his cheerful tone, “That’s good! I’m not either. I mean, I am. I am not straight. Which I think you know— knew. I’m sorry for assuming, and yeah, that’s good.”

Kuroo raised his eyebrows slightly, then let out a low laugh, “Don’t worry about it, Kenma. I’m just glad that you now are aware of your best friend’s sexuality.”

“Yep,” Kenma squeaked out, “Good to know.”

“Mhm,” Kuroo nodded, mouth curling up into a smile.

Silence.

“So, does this mean you’ll go along with my plan?”

More silence.

"Fine."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yall rocking with the fake/pretend relationship prompt?????? there will be lots of room for possessive!kuroo ;) !! and don't fret, the relationship won't remain fake for too long hehe
> 
> OH also i spent so much time trying to pick one of the nekoma boys to be the lil shithead who tries to hit on kenma but i didn't want to do anyone like that, so i hope my incorporation of a very vaguely described omc is sufficient enough lolol
> 
> &&& once again i apologize for any mistakes and/or typos, i write this shit in the late hours of the night so pls bear with me as i spend the next couple days changing little details and whatnot :,)

**Author's Note:**

> HI this is gonna be my first chaptered fic aaaaaa this was supposed to be a one shot but i wanna carry on the pining kenma (& kuroo) trope hehe


End file.
